Tailgate assist installed

[Oscarcat]

How hard was it to get the black letters perfectly in place / in line? Mine just arrived, but I am so worried I'm going to be off just the slightest bit when installing them and it's going to look bad when I stand back :-/

Good morning - RE: "How hard...". The following is for the raised black [plastic] letters, not the flat vinyl. First I tested each letter to see how each fit in the recess of the tailgate. Mine had a slight, maybe 1/16" margin in most places. Then I ran a single piece of blue painter's tape across the bottom of the recess for the letters to help me visally bottom align the entire 8 letters. I cleaned the recessed areas with 91% rubbing alcohol [but any will do] being carefull not to let the alcohol drip onto the tailgate or any other painted surface. I worked left to right. I peeled back a small portion of the backing at the bottom of each letter to expose a small amount of adhesive, checked to see the letter was not tilted left or right, set the bottom down, tilting the letter forward towards me at a slight angle, and verified the alignment and fit, then zipped off the rest of the backing upwards and gently rotated the rest of the letter up into the recess. Repeat seven more times. Then gently go over each letter and apply gentle but firm pressure to firmly seat the letter. Do it in a shaded area with the tailgate surface at air temp. If the truck has been sitting in the sun, move it into shade and let the surfaces cool to air temp. If you are allowed, find something cold and pour it into a tall glass, sit back and admire.

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[JustinsPressureWashing]

Good morning - RE: "How hard...". The follow is for the raised black [plastic] letters, not the flat vinyl. First I tested each letter to see how each fit in the recess of the tailgate. Mine had a slight, maybe 1/16" margin in most places. Then I ran a single piece of blue painter's tape across the bottom of the recess for the letters to help me visally bottom align the entire 8 letters. I cleaned the recessed areas with 91% rubbing alcohol [but any will do] being carefull not to let the alcohol drip onto the tailgate or any other painted surface. I worked left to right. I peeled back a small portion of the backing at the bottom of each letter to expose a small amount of adhesive, checked to see the letter was not tilted left or right, set the bottom down, tilting the letter forward towards me at a slight angle, and verified the alignment and fit, then zipped off the rest of the backing and gently pressed the rest of the letter upward into the recess. Repeat seven more times. Then gently go over each letter and apply pressure to firmly seat the letter. Do it in a shaded area with the tailgate surface at air temp. If the truck has been sitting in the sun, move it into shade and let the surfaces cool to air temp. If you are allowed, find something cold and pour it into a tall glass, sit back and admire.

Thanks for the thorough response! And oh yes, I'm allowed

 

[hdave]

Anyone have an issue with the tailgate assist popping off?

 

[itzyoboipaul]

Did mine also. From Amazon. Metal Parts are painted black

 

[pmasghar]

At least for the Lariat trim, Ford could have included the Tail gate Assist.

 

[Mavreezy]

Anyone have an issue with the tailgate assist popping off?

After 4 months of constant use, no issues.

 

[clos0791]

At least for the Lariat trim, Ford could have included the Tail gate Assist.

I agree, it should be standard on Lariat at least. Not a big expense for Ford. Maybe they knew people would but the strut anyway as an accessory.

 

[Lane]

In this thread, what is common among these photos besides the addition of the strut?

Something useful was removed! If you want to replace the tailgate tie down bracket that had to be removed to fit the assist strut, I've made a few that I'm selling.

Works well and clears the new strut and no issues with the cable. I have a thread here in the For Sale forum.

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