Problems installing tailgat lock (Pop N Lock PL5100)

Hey guys and gals, I'm hoping y'all can help me. I just spent longer than is acceptable trying to install the tailgate lock (for an '01) and I'm either REALLY special right now or I just did it wrong.

I followed Reid's directions (link) but at the part where we the handle's edge is supposed to go over the lip (and the handle is supposed to be flushed with the gate) it's, well, not.

I double-checked to make sure it's the

$57 PL5100 , Standard Lock

PL5100 model and it is:


It looks exactly like the one Reid (and everyone else) has:


And the back is identical too:


The lock and the handle fit together like a glove but the entire assembly doesn't actually flush into the cutout as the instructions / tutorials say it should. Now here's what came to mind.

1.) The gate is a modified / older tailgate. Wholly possible since my gate doesn't come off like everyone else's. I've pulled up from every angle from the passenger side and the damn thing doesn't want to come off. That's a good thing, I guess (I'll post another "help me!" thread with pics to that later)

2.) I need to shave / cut the lock.

I'll go back and take pics during assembly tomorrow, but I was getting so irate at it not going as smoothly as everyone else's, that I had to put it down. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

My 95.5 has the tailgate bolted down - it's not like the newer trucks where you can lift the passenger side to remove it. I needed a breaker bar to bust the bolts loose. Stealing the tailgate on this model is not nearly as quick or easy as some other trucks, especially if you torque the pivot bolts down. I bought a replacement tailgate from a 99 and it also bolted on, so it wouldn't surprise me if all of the 1st gens are like this.

 

Just a wild stab in the dark.

But could the mechanism the handle attaches to be pushed out? It's in a terrible spot, eg right where you would climb in and out of the back.

I know every once in a while I have to remove the tailgate panel and bang out the center of it (that rests against the handle mechanism) in order for my handle to sit flush in the handle frame (if that's the word for it). It could just be that your mechanism is being pushed out the same.

Here's a link to help clarify my sugar induced hangover explanation above. Scroll down a bit in that post.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-builds/98326-madjik-mans-laugh-him-build-6.html#post5216524