Can't get bottle opener off.

[tom_tucker]

Why not?

1. Lightest Tailgate on the market.
2. Cost of TA part.
3. Deletes existing tie-down/opener.
4. Cost of replacement tie-down.
5. Installation time and issues (see many, many issue threads such as this one).
6. TA part will fail and require replacement. Not a lifetime shock, is it?
7. Don't even want to wait for it to open, rather have it slam. Doesn't interfere with tailgate cables?

If you handed me a DeeZee I would catapult it back to China.

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[KEMeyer]

Welcome to AARP! Not a lifetime shock is it? Let us know when it fails and you need to replace it.

Why so snarky? You're opinion is welcome here but not your attitude.

 

[BoskoPColtrane]

1. Lightest Tailgate on the market.
2. Cost of TA part.
3. Deletes existing tie-down/opener.
4. Cost of replacement tie-down.
5. Installation time and issues (see many, many issue threads such as this one).
6. TA part will fail and require replacement. Not a lifetime shock, is it?
7. Don't even want to wait for it to open, rather have it slam. Doesn't interfere with tailgate cables?

If you handed me a DeeZee I would catapult it back to China.

Dang. It took more time to write the response than to install the part.

 

[tom_tucker]

Why so snarky? You're opinion is welcome here but not your attitude.

This is supposed to be an entertainment website, not the Queen's funeral. And the Queen is dead now so we don't need all that British formality anymore...

 

[Rcrew]

Same here.
It was a little tough, breaking the habit of trying to catch the tailgate. Just pull the latch and let It Go.


I am almost 70.
I guess I'll notify you too.

GB
Just let it fall.

And I’m well over 70, and of the 8 aftermarket adds I’ve put on my 2024 Lariat Hybrid, I value the tailgate assist most. If it fails I’ll just replace it!

 

[Rcrew]

I'm trying to install a tailgate assist, but I can't for the life of me get the bottle opener off. The bolts just spin in space, with zero give on the tie down. Using a T30 Plus bit, so the heads are fine. Any tips on how to get these out? Are the threads stripped on both of them?

Mine went on easily. Have you tried some kind of leverage against the underside of the bolt head? Like a very thin flat blade screwdriver? I just looked at the right side of mine where the BOTTLE OPENER still is, and it looks tough to do. I also like the idea of trying to access through what looks like a removable panel. Good luck! Let us know.

 

[MetalsGeek]

As I recall, the back side of either the damper mount or the bottle opener / tie down is not accessible with your hand through the tailgate access panel because there's a structural member in between them. The best you can do is reach thru the holes in the stiffener with a heavy wire to perhaps put a nut on the back, which I had to do for the mount on my damper.
If those screws are spinning, the threaded insert behind them is stripped out and you may have no alternative to drilling them out. This is not the end of the world since these can usually be replaced very nicely with rivet nuts. If you're a DIY type, these are wonderful since they will give you nice strong threads in sheet metal, and the tool to set them is not too expensive. They come in SAE/SI sizes and both aluminum and steel. You can also set them with a good machine screw, a flat washer, and a couple of nuts. It just takes a few minutes instead of seconds.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I had to do it.

 

[Atlasbluemav]

Try removing the access panel and see if you can get some pliers on there to hold the weld nut (which sounds like it's broken) while you take out the bolt.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Try removing the access panel and see if you can get some pliers on there to hold the weld nut (which sounds like it's broken) while you take out the bolt.

I don't think it's possible.

As I recall, the back side of either the damper mount or the bottle opener / tie down is not accessible with your hand through the tailgate access panel because there's a structural member in between them. The best you can do is reach thru the holes in the stiffener with a heavy wire to perhaps put a nut on the back, which I had to do for the mount on my damper.
If those screws are spinning, the threaded insert behind them is stripped out and you may have no alternative to drilling them out. This is not the end of the world since these can usually be replaced very nicely with rivet nuts. If you're a DIY type, these are wonderful since they will give you nice strong threads in sheet metal, and the tool to set them is not too expensive. They come in SAE/SI sizes and both aluminum and steel. You can also set them with a good machine screw, a flat washer, and a couple of nuts. It just takes a few minutes instead of seconds.

 

[Deweyordeweynot]

I'm trying to install a tailgate assist, but I can't for the life of me get the bottle opener off. The bolts just spin in space, with zero give on the tie down. Using a T30 Plus bit, so the heads are fine. Any tips on how to get these out? Are the threads stripped on both of them?

Sounds like the nut weld is broken. If you can get ahold of the nut from inside, it should do the trick.
I don't understand why a tailgate dampener is so polarizing...but I love mine. Nothing says 'cheap build' like a tailgate that whacks your knees as it falls...and a dampener is (usually) inexpensive and easy to install. You lose the bottle opener tiedown but a fellow MTC member has made a replacement tiedown that doesn't interfere with the dampener. It's a winner!

 

[MetalsGeek]

I don't think it's possible.

I don't entirely disagree with you on that. Access to the lower half of the tailgate IS nearly impossible, but with patience you can do simple things. Here's a photo showing the interior of the tailgate with the structural member visible in shadow. Those holes in it are only the first challenge in the gantlet. I recall there being another I had to pass thru, closer to the side of the tailgate. No photo of THAT. You could see it with an endoscope...

I made a custom nut for the tailgate damper from a scrap piece of aluminum, and made the oval raised section (shown here) a bit shorter than the hole in the tailgate so it could slide to align with the damper bracket screw. It has to be oblong to prevent spinning. I then used a fairly long piece of #12 scrap copper wire to place it. For insurance, i attached some thread to the nut so I could retrieve it when it fell off the wire inside the tailgate (which happened several times).

I was able to reach thru the reinforcement holes using that wire, and eventually placed my nut in the requisite location. Yes, it took a number of tries. Did I say I was really grateful for that recovery thread?

I wedged the nut in place with a small screwdriver when removing the wire and starting the bracket mounting screw. Only after the bracket was done did I break that thread. I'm happy with the result, but it was indeed much more of a hassle than such things should be, and I hope I never need to undo this mod.
My cheesy aluminum replacement tie-down bracket works fine, but it sticks up above the tailgate so I have to keep this in mind when loading. The shape and location clear when the tailgate is closed.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

I don't entirely disagree with you on that. Access to the lower half of the tailgate IS nearly impossible, but with patience you can do simple things. Here's a photo showing the interior of the tailgate with the structural member visible in shadow. Those holes in it are only the first challenge in the gantlet. I recall there being another I had to pass thru, closer to the side of the tailgate. No photo of THAT. You could see it with an endoscope...

I made a custom nut for the tailgate damper from a scrap piece of aluminum, and made the oval raised section (shown here) a bit shorter than the hole in the tailgate so it could slide to align with the damper bracket screw. It has to be oblong to prevent spinning. I then used a fairly long piece of #12 scrap copper wire to place it. For insurance, i attached some thread to the nut so I could retrieve it when it fell off the wire inside the tailgate (which happened several times).

I was able to reach thru the reinforcement holes using that wire, and eventually placed my nut in the requisite location. Yes, it took a number of tries. Did I say I was really grateful for that recovery thread?

I wedged the nut in place with a small screwdriver when removing the wire and starting the bracket mounting screw. Only after the bracket was done did I break that thread. I'm happy with the result, but it was indeed much more of a hassle than such things should be, and I hope I never need to undo this mod.
My cheesy aluminum replacement tie-down bracket works fine, but it sticks up above the tailgate so I have to keep this in mind when loading. The shape and location clear when the tailgate is closed.

I was just quoting you.
I have no idea what is under the access panels.
.

 

[MetalsGeek]

I was just quoting you.

Ooops. I see that now. Hopefully the first photo will answer someone else's questions on what's inside the tailgate.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Ooops. I see that now. Hopefully the first photo will answer someone else's questions on what's inside the tailgate.

So does this mean you don't agree with yourself???

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