At the moment my truck has the chains on the '56 style bed.

I was reading old posts and found a link to LMCTruck info about a Hidden Tailgate Latch Kit. They have a drawing and brief description, but I'm having trouble picturing it. Does anyone have a pic of one or of something similar on their truck?

Reference pdf
http://www.lmctruck.com/pdfcatalogs/pdf/FA/0023.pdf
bottom left corner.

 

Since I'm a tightwad, I fabbed my own.

Here's a link to my gallery with some pics;
1949 Ford F1 4x2 - Poor-boy Tailgate

Basically I took some 1/2 pipe and some springs from the hardware store and fabbed up a couple of latches.

Bobby

 

I think im going to use a old GM seat belt buckle. I seen it somewhere online and think it would work great for keeping the sides and tailgate together.

 

why a GM buckle? Can't you make a Ford buckle work? Let me get this straight...female end on the bed and male ends on the gate?

 

GM buckles are smaller, less obtrusive in a custom application.

 

I could do a ford but really havent seen to many to compare. yeah you got it just weld the tabs to the bed and gait and walla custom tailgate lock. its a little ratrodish but hay it works.

 

I threw this question out on this site last year and got a lot of good suggestions, but the belt buckle idea was the one that I liked the best. It's not exactly hidden but it is inside the bed area.

I used ford buckles, I'm sure others would work equally well. I did a little cutting and welding on the tongue portion of the buckle, drilled a few holes, welded some studs to the bedside and they work great.











The part I like the best is that I can slam the tailgate closed and there is no metal contact anywhere other than at the latch area. The tailgate positions correctly and no chipped paint.

Drewski

 

So, are you eliminating the catch chain? Or are you going to add that to the inside of the bed too so they don't swing?

 

Nice job! Wish I would have saved my old tailgate to experiment with.

 

Youve got some skills, i really like how you fabed your own hidden tail gate latch from scrap thats awesome. How does your bed hold together from the sides? ive noticed on my bed it will move outward a little thats why i was straying away from that type of latch. I need something to hold the tailgate up and together from the sides.

 

Sorry my last post was for your skills, lol

 

If you were responding to my post, I plan to use the folding strap stays similar to the type used in the marine industry for hatch doors. They are usually made out of stainless and they polish up to look like chrome.

Drewski

 

Some boat cabin door latches I modified a little.

 

bobby,

is that stainless pipe or galvanized... ??? nice wor

 

Here is a different type of latch that is available: