Relentless Tailgate reinforcement issue

Hey gals and fellas, I just received the

$90 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma With 4L Right Petrol intake air snorkel kit high performance system compatible kit Replacement black Rotational Molding (2005-2015)

2005-2015 Tacoma Tailgate Reinforcement from RELENTLESS Fabrications. It was packed well, shipped intact and arrived more quickly than I anticipated. Powdercoated matte black, maybe a bit thinner than I expected, but nice looking work.

I ordered new OEM screws since my 2006 tailgate screws are corroded. The smaller screw that lines the bottom and up the side—90166 60003- has a loose, wafer-like washer and it fits fine.

But the larger screw that runs across the top of the gate, 64189-04030, has an integral, washer-like registration feature visible in the photo that is slightly larger than the hole they provided. The larger screw won’t seat properly, and the likely fix is boring out the holes in the plate to accommodate that feature. I expect I can bore the powdercoated holes a bit without concern but I wrote RELENTLESS to see what they say about this issue. I’ll bounce back when I hear from them.

Gregory
2006Workhorse

 

It will be easier to go your local Ace hardware and buy regular screws versus drilling out the holes.

 

True. And thanks.
But #1, the factory holes appear about 5/16ths and that registration collar on the larger screw is designed to eliminate any possible side-shifting over time. A simple screw couldn't address that. And But #2, my whole motivation to reach for both of the Toyota OEM screws is to have new matte black Toyota fasteners over a new matte black Relentless powdercoat. As my favorite obsessive Mies van der Rohe once said, "God is in the details."

 

I THINK those are so you can use your stock tailgate cap but I'm not sure it will fit over the Relentless unit. I have the exact same tailgate liner and the screws just stick up along the top.
I don't pay much attention to it but when shoveling dirt out of the back, the shovel hits them and they are a bit of a pain.

 

Drill out the holes and touch up the bare metal, get different fasteners, use washers behind the screw, or just run them as is.

I have a bedrug and without the plastic cap the edge of the rug was exposed and would get caught on stuff so the solution for me was a strip of aluminum that I drilled holes in that the factory fasteners would sit flush with.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ld-and-ramblings.452204/page-22#post-20004360

 

It looks like you can order the optional screws from Relentless:

"Easily mounts with factory screws, though we do recommend purchasing 8x) PN 90166-60003 screws for a more flush fit to replace the upper shouldered screws."

 

Yes, thanks Wattapunk, 8x) PN 90166-60003 is the smaller of the two screws I purchased in my photo, the 8x refers to eight holes along the bottom and one up each side. And they do fit fine. I purchased new screws for every hole on Relentless's plate.

It's the larger/longer screw in the photo, the 7x PN 64189 04030 along the top where there are greater stresses that has the larger integral collar that will not countersink properly and register the new aluminum plate. It's only about a thirty-second of an inch, a fairly small increment to enlarge. I may just bore it out myself.

 

Hey came across this post and wanted to chime in-
As our Tailgate reinforcement panel description states (and was quoted by @Wattapunk above) the upper screws that are shouldered can be replaced with the Toyota PN 90166-60003 non-shouldered ones that the lower part of the tailgate has from the factory. This is only necessary if you want the screws to sit more flush and not be raised up by the shoulder. Since the row of shouldered screws are just at the edge of the bent jog in the panel, they don't really snag things as much as you might guess, but the other screws certainly make it more complete.

The reason the upper ones are shouldered from Toyota is because there are both the main tailgate panel and the overlaid cap that secure in that location so the shoulder prevents the screws from tightening too much on the cap over the OE panel and pinching/cracking the plastic. Since our replacement tailgate panel replaces the 2 pieces with 1 solid metal panel the basis for using a shouldered screw is unnecessary and why we recommend the PN 90166-60003 screws to replace them for a more flush fit. If you were to drill our holes in the panel larger to accept the shouldered screw then the panel would not secure properly as I recall the shoulder height (due to the thickness of the plastic OE cap) is taller than our panel is thick and would cause it to 'float' vs being secured by the screw as designed.
Hopefully this clears up any confusion.
-Eric

 

Hey Eric, your Relentless tailgate plate worked out nicely.

I found out why the original tailgate was curved and sagging, it had cracked but was concealed under the plastic tailgate cap.

 

The OEM gate now measures about 3/8th’s of an inch off the powdercoated aluminum inside at the top outside corners, but is so tight in the middle I had to push against the curve to pop it in.

But now the gate is straightened, reinforced, good to sit on and smooth enough to serve a round of beer. The clean stright line when viewed from the side is alone worth the price of admission.

 

FYI, i have rocked all the original screws WITH the OEM fiberglass cap over my relentless fab reinforcement wrap around plate. Been working wonders for years, keeps the OEM look n feel.