Huracan Fabrication Tailgate Storage Installation (1 Viewer)

[crobson]

First how to/install thread, so please bear with me.

I Learned A Thing!
It may take a couple days to get this all up, please let me get it all up before adding any questions or comments. I’ll edit this out later(Left in because I learned something). - It was recommended to me to reserve additional posts for space(thank you!) so I have done so. 5 image cap per post. Count your pictures and don't reserve too many spaces because it's embarrassing being confronted with your own lack of foresight.
There were a couple of excellent points/suggestions right away by other users who have previous experience.

Without further delay...
I purchased this in the Sept. 2023 Group Buy. Free shipping had it delivered to me 4 days later.
The box & everything inside looked good.
Here are the tools I used, on the finished product.
I will say that if you have an oscillating multi tool, you should really consider using that to cut out the existing metal panel. I used an angle grinder, & I am very comfortable with angle grinders, but it makes a mess! Especially compared to the oscillating tool.

I chose the Marine Carpet upgrade option, and while the black powder coating is quite nice and appears durable, I really like the look & feel of the carpet.

 

[crobson]

This was a pretty straightforward install/modification, I’d rate it a 3/10 in terms of difficulty and need for mechanical inclination. It took me most of a weekend that was filled with other distractions & trips to various stores. If you have everything on hand, 4 hours of dedicated time should be plenty.

Check your tools & supplies before you start. I bought grey automotive primer, additional closed cell foam weather stripping, & wide Gorilla tape.

First, remove the existing tailgate carpet. Use plastic trim removal tools to pop out the fittings.
A second trim removal tool makes a good prop for the plastic tailgate slider. An added benefit of using plastic here is that when you forget to remove it and close the tailgate...Nothing important breaks.

Pop out the plastic retaining clips for the wiring. Other than the plastic clip on the latch release cable that mounts to the center support, I didn't bother with trying to save the clips & I ended up cutting them completely off the wires.

The two cables that release the tailgate latches come off with a bit of patience. There are barrels on the ends of the wire and reliefs for the wire in the attachment points. A careful rotation will allow easy removal. You can still close and open the tailgate with the cables removed, it just takes a bit of dexterity if you don't have a third hand readily available.

Also, I have the tailgate lock version that does not require any additional modification or removal. Mine looks like this.

 

[excessive]

...

 

[crobson]

Put the template in place & then lay the new cover over the top to make sure everything lines up.
This is your Line Of Departure!
If you're not comfortable with cutting out all of the OEM metal that you can see under the new hatch, Stop & Turn Back Now!
For the rest of you, trace the outline with a sharpie & get after it.

I used an angle grinder per the instructions, but would recommend an oscillating tool with a metal cutting blade. Drop cloth to protect against dust, debris, & sparks from entering the vehicle. Whichever method you choose, be very careful to keep the electrical wires out of the way while you are cutting. I imagine that cutting these wires would siginifcantly increase the overall difficulty of the project.

I was taught that PPE should be at least 1 level beyond your first gut response to what you'll really need. In this case, I wore hearing & eye protection. My initial thought was the eyes would be enough, but then I rememberd that I am getting old and my ears ring for longer and lnger, so I wore ears too. I consoled myself by not putting on shoes & working in flip flops. You should Absolutely be more responsible than I am.

Remove bulb holders & tape off to keep out debris.

There are two supports that also need to be cut out & removed. The sheet metal is attached with two spot welds that can be ground off from above.

 

[crobson]

It started to rain in Southern CA and it turns out that the new truck does not fit in my garage.

I did not feel comfortable cutting blindly through the supports with the sheet metal in place.

Be careful to not cut into the latch mechanism.

Sheet metal removed. Additional supports exposed. Tension/lift assist bars exposed(I left these intact at this point so that I could later determine by how much they should be shortened.)

Additional supports removed.

Clean up rough edges and remove any heat bubbled paint. It was at this point that I had the bright idea about using the oscillating tool to cut the metal instead of the angle grinder...

Most of the debris inside the tailgate is from the cutoff wheel. It must all be vacuumed out.

 

[crobson]

Tape & paint. I used a 2 in 1 primer & filler because that is what I bought. Not a huge amount of concern, just want to inhibit rust. A piece of cardboard protects against over spray shooting upward when you paint the underside of the sheet metal. I wiped everything down with alcohol after vacuuming out all the debris and placed shop towels to protect against over spray.

Push tension bars out of the way with something rigid, they are strong. Once dried, I placed the new door on and shortened the tensions bars.

I have met people who are apparently unable to read a tape measure in this orientation. They say it is "upside down & backwards" or some such nonsense. If you are one if these people, the picture belows shows that the tension bar is cut so that it extends about 1/2" inch past the cut edge.

Make templates of the cavity to help cut the sound deadening material. A good pair of sturdy scissors is sufficient the cut this material.

 

[crobson]

I have made enough mistakes to no longer skip the template making step.

Take extra care to route, ziptie, & otherwise secure the wires & latch release cables. Having to go back in a do this later would not be a fun use of your time.
I ziptied the cables up along the top and removed the OEM tail light access hatch plastic nut inserts to gain mounting points. The zip ties were only tightened eoungh to keep the latch cables routed along the top of the inner tailgate edge. I felt that cinching them down would negatively affect the latch operation.

 

[crobson]

I routed the electrical wires along the bottom in the sound deadening seam, and covered the exposed wire to the key mechanism with gorilla tape.

The key mechanism was wrapped and secured with zipties.
There were rubber tips on the tension bars, and those were put back on the shortened bars.

I also added window seal to the tail light housings on the sides of the cavity. Was running out of time and neglected to take pictures. In my world, that exposed plastic just begs to be broken.

Two of the supplied bolts are longer and they go at either end where the additional length is needed to clear the latch mechanisms.

5mm allen & 13mm wrenches. I needed a thin open end wrench to get to the nut in the top center position due to the central structural support.

 

[crobson]

Bolted down & looking good!

I peeled 2 corners off, lined everything up, and then carefully removed the remaining backing paper.

To install the latches, start by removing the brackets with your 10mm tool of choice.

You must also tighten down(close the gap like seen on the right latch) the engagement bolt to gain the clearance necessary to install the latch. You'll adjust these later.

 

[crobson]

I used the included seals. With care, they will sit down inside the carpet & on the metal. The round part of the latch faces the front of the truck and the bolts were tightened down previously secure the door against the underside of the lip of the cover.

Fine tune the fit of the latches and the amount of force required to lock them to your preference. I tightened everything quite a bit in the hopes of eliminating the possibility of rattles. Sounds good so far!
The front of the rounded part of the latch is a bit proud, and I did not fully grasp the purpose of the supplied furniture sliders. So, I put those in less than useful places and wrecked them in my removal attempt.

All finished and very pleased with the results.

Update - I tried a number of different furniture slider type solutions without success. The problem I kept encountering is that the angle of the plastic gap cover while closing the tailgate, combined with it’s sharp lower edge, drives the leading edge of the gap cover into the carpet just after the hinge, as well as hanging up on the latches. Nothing that I added to the underside of the plastic gap cover was able to raise the leading edge enough to clear those obstacles without causing the gap cover to be raised way too much when the tailgate is open.

Having isolated the sharp & small radius of the leading edge of the gap cover as the problem, I started searching for suitable edge protection solutions.
I ended up at McMaster Carr & found 2 options that fit, one semi-rigid & the other soft. Grow up!
I prefer the look of the soft & flexible strip, but think it will just get destroyed. I put the rigid strip on & it works really well. It is a very tight fit and no adhesive is required. It came in a 10 ft length that was tightly coils for shipping, so it still has a bit of a cast that I expect (hope!) will relax over time.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

Slippery Plastic Trim - 8271K13

 

[crobson]

Here are some more pictures of the edge protection strip installed.

 

[crobson]

Here we have the problem of improper planning proceeding poor performance.
Next time I will keep in mind the 5 images per post limit and not reserve an excess of spots.

 

[crobson]

This is a downright embarassing ending.

 

[dino1]

damn Fine instructions. How much $$$

 

[crobson]

Thank you.
It was $425 less 20% & free shipping.

UPDATED 02/19/2024!!! Huracan Fabrication Tailgate Storage Group Buy starts 02/19/24 and ends 03/04/2024!!!

UPDATED 02/19/24 Here we go again…another group buy! Please read this entire first post!! What? Group Buy for Huracan Fabrication Tailgate Storage for: 60 Series: Not available for this discount 80 Series: Available 100 Series: Available When...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Red Beard]

Great looking install. I always have the same questions about these things:
1. How is it to sit on the tailgate now? Thats one of my favorite things about the cruiser and I would hate to lose that feature
2. Have you loaded it up with gear and opened the tailgate? I'm assuming its gonna swing down much faster now. My wife already lets it free fall and bounce open so I'm afraid if I do this mod and fill it with gear its gonna free fall and rip the supports right out of the rear end.

 

[crobson]

Great looking install. I always have the same questions about these things:
1. How is it to sit on the tailgate now? Thats one of my favorite things about the cruiser and I would hate to lose that feature
2. Have you loaded it up with gear and opened the tailgate? I'm assuming its gonna swing down much faster now. My wife already lets it free fall and bounce open so I'm afraid if I do this mod and fill it with gear its gonna free fall and rip the supports right out of the rear end.

Thanks
1. It still makes for a great sitting platform. I chose the carpet option specifically for this reason.
2. Gear inside does make it heavier and open quite a bit more quickly. I open and support it down(and did prior to this mod too), and loaded tool bags(heavy) at the bottom. I too would be concerned with just letting it fall. It feels like we have drifted a bit off topic though, so tread carefully! I have easy drop struts on my F150 tailgate, perhaps that is an option?

 

[hoser]

It looks like they upgraded the carpet to from when I purchased mine in 2021. Looks thicker. My flap still catches on the bolt heads and hence "temporary" rubber hose.

Yours.... 9/2023

4/2021....

 

[crobson]

Maybe...I'm still imagineering a solution as it does catch on the latch.

 

[4Beast]

I wish I had a thread like this when I did mine a few years ago. In answer to the question about weight, with a lot of my recovery gear (tow strap snatch strap tree savers, soft and hard shackles, snatch blocks etc) it's very heavy and I am cautious when letting it down.