71 tailgate latch mechanics

[Zorm]

Has anyone removed the tailgate handle and latches, clean them up, grease em up then have them work correctly when you put them back in? I'm having issues with mine. Seems like way to much play. When I get the handle on, then try to "open" the latches, I get nothing. Thinking of making brackets or some way to lessen the play in the latches where the rods go through. The oblong holes for the rods look way too big.

thoughts?

[Zorm]

Resolved it. Sorry for no pics, I was just excited to get the gate on the truck.

Had to remove the latches and have both bars (where they connect to the rectangle flat stock at the handle) point toads the top of the gate.

Put both bar "keeper pins" in with the round part towards the ends of the tailgate (left ones towards the left and visa versa).

Bolt the latches back in, get small pieces of wood and put them in the latches to engage the catches and keep them engaged. I was doing this on a table with the tailgate lying face up. I put 5gal buckets and some more wood under the wood in the catches as to not let them fall out of the latches if I moved the handle and bars. I think the thing is to engage the catches, like when you pull the handle to open the tailgate, and keep them that way till you get the handle connected.

At the handle, the handle pin, the squared area that handle slides over, has to be at 90*. I placed the white washer between the flat metal stock and the face plate, pushed the pin through the face plate. Put the other white washer and the metal spring washer other the pin. Those 3 washers I got as a kit from Denis Carpenter.

I held / pushed the pin with the flat stock (latch bars connected) with all the washers, into the face plate. As, I did that, I rotated the pin using the flat stock to turn it, (start out with flat stock square with face plate opening, when you rotate, move the side with the longer bar, left side when looking at the gate, so it is facing up, if the tailgate is lying down or, facing out if the gate is still on the truck or standing up) till the notched or squared area that the handle slides on was about at the correct angle (handle in the "home" gate closed, position I guess I can can it that)
Then slipped the handle on, !Warning!, there is not a whole lot of space for the handle to just slide on, when I did this, the pin was barley in the handle.
So with my one hand kinda holding everything, I slowly put the pin nut on a turn or two, this took at least 3 tries. One the nut was started, I used a small socket wrench to tighten it. The handle slipped off the pin a few times and with some patience, I was able to get it back on the pin, in the correct orientation and finish tightening the nut till it was tight.

I put the 4 screws into the face plate/gate and before tightening all the way, i removed the wood from the latches that were holding back the catches and pulled the handle (opened the tailgate), Everything operated real smooth.

When I had the latches out I cleaned them up, and packed them with high temp marine grease I had. I made sure grease was in all the crevasses I could get to and all over the spring.

When I put the tailgate back on, I got these they do make a difference.


So how the tailgate looks now, cut and polished and waxed, insert redone and clear coated, handle and face plate powder coated.



The guy that painted the truck, did not remove the rear step bumper so that small section below the gate did not get painted. I'm gonna maybe sand, prime and paint black. I got two white LED strips that I'll put down there and wire to the back up lights, the strips will just fill up that section.
I also played with a rear bumper. Don't really like the large steel step bumper and don't like the way this stock bumper sticks out in stock form, so did some trimming.I might weld the bumper bolts to the bumper, grind / smooth them out front and back, then get them re chromed. Also need to get new tail light surrounds and covers, going LED with em.