3rd gen to 2nd gen conversion

Why is everyone's tailgate so heavy? I've never once thought of it as such. Though the first truck I ever had experience with was a 1984 F150. Maybe that's still ingrained in my mind and muscle memory.

 

Here is the hinge, are you ready to place your order?

 

WOW! That's nice. I'm gonna hit up a few wrecking yards, in the next couple weeks, and see what I can do for the damper and damper bracket.

 

Check

Your dealer, one guy was able to get both for 120, it's cheaper than my dealer by almost 80 bucks

 

@Muddinfun I tried sourcing used parts for about a week. Unless you are able to get into the yard to pull the parts yourself, the wreckers just won't do it. And that is even difficult, since most of the trucks with wrecked beds are just not around. I don't know where you're located, but almost no one on the east coast wanted to help me.
So like @christian06 said, I bought new parts, and I got them from OEM Parts Source, as they had the best price with shipping.

 

Here it is installed

 

So the one from the 3rd Gen doesn't bolt up to the 2nd gen tailgate?

 

So, getting back to the 1st and 2nd design thing, On the OEM 3rd gen stuff, the part that bolts to the tailgate is the same. The difference is the plastic bushing and the damper bracket. The OEM 1st design bushing is no longer available from Toyota. There is a TW member on the 3rd gen side that is reproducing the 1st design bushing on a 3D printer. So, with all that in mind, are you buying the bushing from Toyota or are you making it yourself (Or having it made)? My reasoning here is that if the bushing ever wears out, it would be nice to be able to buy the bushing from Toyota.

 

No, bolt pattern is different and in order to make it work the hinge can't have any bends like the OEM ones do, ( 2nd or 3rd gen).

 

I buy my bushings from toyota, my hinge is the new style (feb 2016 and newer).
The first design is junk, that's why toyota stopped using it. There are a couple of different places out there that make the 1st design bushings, they run about 15 dollars ish. I dont understand why you wouldn't upgrade to the newer style, otherwise your gonna spend a fortune on bushings cause they are gonna continue to brake.

 

OK, that's the info I was looking for. So, when combing the wrecking yards, it's important to get the damper bracket off a late 2016 or newer Taco, and with the dimensions you provided, that's easy to determine.

Thanks.

 

I can visualize a wrecking yard not wanting to pull a bumper, taillight, and loosen the bedside to remove such little parts. They probably don't realize how expensive those parts are from Toyota. I am going to be at a wrecking yard in about a week that has a lot of Tacos. I'll ask them about them. If I get lucky, maybe I can get a quantity discount on buying all that they have. LOL

"Hey, some guy came in here and bought 11 tailgate hinges. Get on the internet and find out what he's doing with them"

"A guy Named Christian is making a piece to utilize the damper on 2nd gens"

"Crap, we better raise the price on those pieces."

 

you take paypal yeah? haha I need a set

 

Hopefully you can! Finding 3rd gen Tacoma's (or any year Tacoma's) in wrecking yards here is like finding needles in a haystack.

 

LOL. I edited my post above.

 

@christian06 I can't find the part number for the bracket which you say in the video is "1604272v"... that's not a Toyota part number

 

Fiberglass copy.

 

Ah ok, google images kept showing just the bushing... i'm noticing the last digits are the same, guess don't have any images of the bracket

 

Nice! Subbed