5th wheel tailgate question

[diesel4me2]

hi everybody,

just a quick question, i've searched here and online and can't find my answer.
the truck in my sig is an 86', i'm looking for a louvered v-tailgate. all the louvered tailgates i can find state 87' and up . i saw one that fit an 86', but it wasn't louvered, just round bars. my understanding is they changed the latching mechanism in 87, can i retro-fit an 87', if so how, or did i miss something, and they all interchange
thanks again for the help
chris

 

[TLBREWER]

That's a good question. I'd be curious as to the answer as well. You may need to be the guinney pig. They did re-design the 87-97 bed so they are cosmetically different than the pre-'87's. But I would think they are dimensionally the same. The latching mechanism is the question here and unfortunately, I don't know the answer.

Tom

 

[diesel4me2]

yeah, i don't either. i think i'm gonna spend the money and get one. my hope is that i can remove the latching mechanism from the tailgate and modify the louvered gate to accept them. i'll post pics when i can
chris

 

[92F350CC]

Neighbor kid has a an 86 F250 with a louvered 5th wheel tailgate. At least, I think it was louvered. I'll check tomorrow.

 

[diesel4me2]

that would be great
chris

 

[DixieDirt]

Chris, ford did in fact change the tailgate latching system on the 87 and up trucks from a latch plate style to a door striker design. Both tailgate styles will fit both trucks but as you thought, the latching systems are different. Dimensionally they are about the same with maybe a hair of difference between the pre 87 and the 87 and on up. Both pre and post 87 style tailgates have the easy on/off design. I believe you could retrofit a post 87 tailgate to fit your truck if you had access to a donor truck to remove the tailgate strikers, then drill 1 hole on each side of the bed to attach them to the truck after removing your orignal style latch plates. Some welding may be required. Hope that answered your question. If you would be interested, I have a louvered v gate for sale that would fit your truck without modification. LMK.

 

[Darrin Tosh]

Hey Chris, Wait till this weekend, I may have one for your body style at my shop. We can check it out on Saturday and see if it fits. I can also get you the cruise control stuff that I keep forgetting about

BTW I am looking forward to seeing your truck!

 

[diesel4me2]

BTW I am looking forward to seeing your truck!

now i have to come clean , my truck is only about 40%right now . still have a lot of things that need to be done to get to 100%, shure its streetable, but it's not to my standards yet . just need time and money (don't we all), hopefull i can instill the "big picture" that i can see in my head that everyone else says i'm crazy for attempting. with any luck the next six months will be busy with mods and pictures.
chris

 

[TLBREWER]

We'll be waiting.

Tom

 

[h2odrx]

We'll be waiting.

Tom

We'll be waiting. and still waiting!!!

 

[diesel4me2]

come on guys 4-6 week lead time. i'll let you know when i get it
chris

 

[diesel4me2]

update

sorry about not updating, forgot about this thread. so i ordered the gate, got it in, first thing first. the cups are different sizes. had to cut them off my tailgate and adapt them to the new one, no big deal for me, as my gate was starting to seperate at the seams. the new gate had removable brackets with cups so i cut them off and welded on mine. had to shim the brackets out to fit, as the new gate is recesed more at that point or the cups that i cut off were longer, either way. all the hardware i use was stainless. the latching equipment is different but i did not have to modify it to work, just had to install bumpers to keep it from moving around. no pictures of the refit as most of it was a government job and i would have been asked what i was doing if i had a camera. but heres some of it installed
chris

 

[tonkadoctor]

Looks good, You have too much bed space left. Carefull with that toolbox taking corners with the 5'r.

Me I gave up on a tailgate and took it off this week, too much of a PITA hooking up, gonna get 1 more low profile tool box to sit on the tail, cant get much more in my bed. Was barely able to cram the chest behind the 91 gallon aux tank.... had to make a slight adjustment with a 4 lb sledge

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[diesel4me2]

Looks good, Carefull with that toolbox taking corners with the 5'r.

yeah, i'm thinking i need to get a low profile box. that will give me another 2-3 inches. just have to find one that works with my 80 gal aux tank.
chris

 

[tonkadoctor]

If you happen to get down around Elkhart, IN, Dan's Service Center carries a chest that is wedge shaped and thin enough to go between an aux tank and a Curt or Reese Fifth wheel like yours. They also carry a few different styles that can be put behind a fifth wheel too.

I can vouch for the shop they have in Wakarusa, really nice people there that will bend over backwards to help you out. I've seen them stay late and open early to accomadate us when we couldn't get there on time.