Tailgate security

[AMikonis]

Ah, city living First, some background. Here in the big city there are a lot people who are making their living cruising the alleys with beater pickup trucks collecting scrap metal. This is a good thing in some ways, like when you change a water heater you can leave it out and someone will pick it up. They'll pick up anything that's not nailed down, but this is not a particularly lucrative profession, so sometimes they go for things that are nailed down, like gutter downspouts... or my tailgate



I did catch the guy in the act, and saved the tailgate. So before I put it back on, I was thinking about installing one of those 90-degree hasps and a padlock on the inside, but I thought I'd ask you guys if anyone had found a cleaner-looking solution or product to secure the tailgate. I've seen some aftermarket products for this purpose, but only for newer trucks.



Thanks,

Andy

 

[cerberusiam]

You caught him taking it off your truck???:--)

 

[AMikonis]

Yep, heard a noise, looked out the window, and saw him. I'm about twice as big as he was, so when he saw me he set it down nicely and ran. When I came out of the house I was 40 feet from him, by the time he jumped on the back of his buddy's truck around the corner in the alley I was 3 feet from him... but he got away... then I realized I had just locked myself out of the house, no money, no phone, no coat - it was 25 degrees out... but at least I had my tailgate!

 

[CFowler]

TO BAD YOU DIDNT GET THAT RAT. TRY A SEARCH ON THAT SUBJECT. I REMEMBER SOMEONE HAD A GREAT IDEA. THEY OPENED A HOSE CLAMP AND PUT IT BACK OVER THE TAILGATE HINGE. NOW A THIEF HAS TO UNSCREW THE CLAMPS TO GET IT OFF. GOOD LUCK. CARL

 

[RobertBolinger]

How about this:



http://www.tonneau-covers-etc.com/popanlock.htm

 

[Philip]

That was a close one Andy. I would try the hose clamp that CFowler suggested.

 

[AMikonis]

Hmmm, I think I know what you mean, but I was just looking at the gate, and the front and rear skins of the tailgate are crimped right up to the edges of the "cut away" side of the hinge - so you can't slide a clamp over it...



And that lock thing is nice, but for '94 and up trucks only!

 

[CFowler]

open up the clamp. put it around the hinge and re-tighten it together. there was pictures of this some one had posted. try searching for it.

 

[RobertBolinger]

You could put hi temp LocTite on the clamp to make it harder to get off.

 

[JLEONARD]

I would suggest a scoped . 308 as first choice.

 

[RobertBolinger]

A . 44 or . 357 is better in an urban setting-with a 308 you might take out a few extra perps, err, I mean citizens

 

[dpuckett]

Andy,

I cant imagine anything like that happening in YOUR neighborhood. Geez, we couldnt get out of there fast enough.

You could rig up a grenade to pull the pin when the tailgate is removed. Take care of a thief, but wouldnt be too good for your truck. Seriously, I had thought of possibly a lock to put on the backside of the tailgate, similar to what they have on the Pepsi machines. OR a deadbolt, maybe? HOw about just taking the 8# sledge and making it less attractive?

 

[RobertBolinger]

This may be an urban legend, but I think it was in Car and Driver in the 70's. A guy had his radar detector stolen twice, so he rigged the third one to explode-and it blew the perp's hand off-the guy who owned the radar detector ended up pulling the time...

 

[1stgen4evr]

It is actually against the law to set a death trap for humans for any reason. You got to make it look like an accident.



My 93 work truck tailgate is so beatup that I doubt any one would want it but I think I will do the clamp thing on my wifes' low mileage 93.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[dodgenstein]

Read a while back where a guy drilled a hole in the inner lip of his tailgate below the right hinge pin and installed a long poprivet to go below the pin. Not too obvious, but a drill would be required to remove it.

 

[dpuckett]

Geez, guys! For the record, I was kidding about the grenade. I know it's illegal to booby trap things. Why is beyond me, but we can start another thread if needed. I like dodgenstein's idea, though. But, in Andy's neighborhood, they may carry a drill, or "borrow" one out of a bolted down case.

 

[quikshft]

I find it surprising that someone would acutally have the nerve to take a tailgate off of someone's truck. If you left it unlocked would they steal a door???

 

["Mad Max"]

.44 with blanks...

someone tries to take my nice 93 gate I'm loading my . 44 with red splatter paint or blanks - my neighbors already think I'm crazy so hearing me let 6 cannon shells go would be as normal as me doing a burnout in the rig at 5am. But on keeping the gate secured what about adding another tab where the slider straps attach so they couldn't be removed. The straps have to positioned at just the right way to slip over the side tabs on both the bed and the gate. You know - those little tabs that are about an inch long and 1/2 inch wide, and rounded at both ends. You could fabricate a few more tabs, same size and shape, and attach 'em 90* to the factory ones, right over top if them, and drill/tap a nice threaded hole and use a counter-sunk torx-head screw to secure it. I bet there's room for the extra 1/8" tab when the gate closes, and when you wanted to remove the bed, just loosen the tabs, rotate the extra ones to line up with the welded ones, slip off the straps, and off it comes. Of course the robbers would figure it out, but torx fittings are harder to come across than phillips or flat head ones.

I dunno - 'course maybe there's a way to install a regular lock cylinder that will prohibit the handle from opening. Hmmm, may have to look into that. That'd be pretty trick... .

- S



"... my other desk has a steering wheel... "

 

[AMikonis]

Dang, Daniel, you're the one who came in here and stole a truck! HA HA, seriously though, you musta been extra nervous in my neighborhood carrying that big wad of cash!



You guys have given me some good ideas. Bashing it up with a hammer won't help because it's scrap metal they were after (although they were driving a Dodge. ) That's what kills me, the tailgate probably would have contributed $0. 25 to their load, and how much would it cost to replace a tailgate with the '92 LE trim piece?



I do like the idea of blanks, but it's illegal to own a handgun in the city, so the resulting attention would be counterproductive. I was thinking I would have just beat him for a while and then thrown him over my neighbor's fence and let the Rotweilers have at 'im! ("Gee, officer, he must have jumped the fence to try to get away from me!")



Slowing them down is they key, I think they would just go for something easier. I may experiment with both dodgenstein and samsrams ideas. The hose clamp won't work due to the way the first gen tailgate is constructed. Although, I'm kinda liking Daniel's deadbolt idea...

 

[dpuckett]

Originally posted by AMikonis

Dang, Daniel, you're the one who came in here and stole a truck! HA HA, seriously though, you musta been extra nervous in my neighborhood carrying that big wad of cash!

Hey, I was bright enough to make off with the whole pickup, spare parts and all NO, I wasnt too nervous about having the cash in your neighborhood; I didnt stop anywhere, and if they tried to rob me, they'd have to earn it- use the gun before I took it away and put it to good use. Act like you dont have it, dont flash it around, and you decrease your odds a little. Hey, did I tell you the Illinois State Patrol stopped me for having no tags about 100 mi south? I hadnt filled out the back of the title yet, and barely squeaked my way out of it.