Tailgate theft

I thought about that one, but was concerned about water, ice, corrosion.

have you had any issues with that whatsoever?

 

Damn dude, sorry to hear about this, and 2nd time, WTF!! I had an issue quite a few years ago, and as someone suggested you put razor blades, nails, etc out to deter the thief, you can't do this legally as if you purposely do something that can cause injury to someone, it is illegal and you can be held at fault. Again, WTF!! It's my property and I can't protect it from thieves??!!

 

X2 on the Sabellco tailgate lock. I also have a bakflip x4s tonneau and oem power tailgate lock.

 

I wanted to confirm before I answered.

When installed and the tailgate is closed, the Sabellco lock is vertical, so I think there’s reduced chance of water getting in.

Also, you’re provided with a sticker to cover the lock (a perfectly cut circle to cover it well).

Mine has been installed for 2 years now, looks brand new still, but didn’t pull the lock sticker to confirm I could unlock it, I probably will never have a need to unlock it.

 

The only real solution is to leave CA and move to America.

 

@23MGM my assumption would be that those are stolen also. I’ve been looking for mine on Craigslist and offer up. My truck is midnight black metallic.

 

@RedWings44 Yes - I lucked out with many mods that were done on the truck by the previous owner.

 

OP: also put some fender washers with a spacers over the cable eyes. It keeps them from being slipped off the bolts so easily.

I was going to say queue the stupid California jokes, but you beat me to it.

 

That's not going to end up online..... sounds like you have a unsavory bodyshop in your area. The guys go around looking for parts they need to fix a truck, steal them and reap the rewards from insurance companies/ client.

 

Sabellco. Time to move if possible.

 

The thought of the insurance company buying the exact tailgate stolen from my truck to replace the stolen tailgate ... would make me sick.

 

Cheap route a hose clamp .

 

Don't forget the washers for the quick disconnect on the support cables.

 

Anything to slow them down helps. But if the thief carries a quick-drill to undo the clamp in 3 seconds it does not help. You would also want to put a fender washer on the cables to slow them down more.

"Slower" does not mean they WILL bypass your truck. Not that SaBellCo is unbeatable, but slows down more than a hose-clamp.

 

@christian06
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tailgate-anti-theft-device.612331/

 

i also added large washers to prevent cables from being detached.
the associated bolts are torx and i had a real hard time getting them loose.
i had to use vice grips to get them started. and so i used vice grips to snug them up again after
washers added. it will take some doing for me to remove those cables if i ever need to...but i have not needed to in 5 yrs.
i thief might try to cut the cables but i think that would be pretty tough. i am hoping for "better move on".

Edit: just a heads up: It is not as easy as simply adding big washers. the torx bolt has to tighten up to a spacer in the hole of the washer. iirc, i widened the washer holes to accept a spacer. I think i fabbed the spacer from a nut, rounding the outside and reaming the threads out and shaving its width down to be just the right size to let the washer spin freely while providing a good surface to tighten the torx bolt up to. I used a drill press and belt sander...pretty easy just using scrap i found around the shop. better planning while cruising the isles of a hardware store would make a lot of the fab unnecessary, but where's the fun in that.

 

Just a thought but can we install a "SmartTag" into the tailgate? Would it work good thru metal? I guess I have another //TODO
+1 on Sabellco here

 

Anything worth doing is worth OVERdoing ...

 

Did you verify it was working?

Genuinely curious since locking the tailgate (manually, of course) is how I secure mine.

 

Mine does not lock automatically. Mines a 23