Hello everyone,

After much searching I was able to locate an acceptable replacement tailgate for my '99 F-250 long bed (the original tailgate was banged up several years ago; I salvaged the lock cylinder out of it prior to disposal).

The replacement tailgate is from a '99 F-150, but everyone said that they're interchangeable, which seems to be the case.

The latch handle that came with it didn't have the lock option, so I had to obtain an OEM latch handle that would accept my original tailgate's lock cylinder (matched locks all around).

Then, I found out that I needed the plastic, slotted insert/sleeve that fits in the right-hand hinge "cup" of the tailgate, that the slotted tongue on the right-hand side of the truck bed slips into, when installing the tailgate. Luckily, the local Ford dealership's parts dept was a source for one of these. It came with a shim washer which I went ahead and placed behind the plastic, slotted insert/sleeve, when I snapped it into the cup hinge of the tailgate.

So, I've installed the lock cylinder and latch handle in the new ("recycled") tailgate, and have the tailgate on the back of the truck.

But, here's the problem:

I can't seem to lock the tailgate.

There's a lever arm off the rear of the lock cylinder that doesn't engage any of the latch mechanism within the tailgate (see attached photo).


What I don't understand is, how does the lock work, and is there a need to adjust the tailgate (shim/no shim, adjust latch rods, etc)?


The first time I tried the lock, the tailgate latch handle would always open the tailgate easily. Then, I removed the latch handle assembly from the tailgate and reinstalled it, only to find that I could only get the tailgate open when I stood up on the rear bumper and lifted up on the latch handle, apparently lifting the tailgate slightly, allowing it to unlatch and swing open.

So, either way, it still appears that the lock doesn't function.

And, again, I can't figure out how the lock interfaces with the latch mechanism within the tailgate, allowing it to lock and unlock.

Naturally, I'm doing all this without a service manual, and I don't have the original tailgate to use as a reference...

Any advice on how the lock functions, and how to adjust the tailgate's latch mechansim, if necessary, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

1999er

Problem Solved

I found out that there are two different tailgate latch control assemblies that interface with the rods that operate the latches on both sides of the tailgate, depending on whether the tailgate handle has a lock cylinder or not. See the attached photo of both asseblies.

It was a simple matter of swapping them out.

The black triangular piece interfaces with the lever arm found on the rear of the lock cylinder.