Notes on Electric Tailgate Lock Actuator Install:

This mod starts with a standard door lock actuator motor.



I added an aluminum plate so I cound move around where it mounted in the tailgate.  If I were doing it again, I would make the plate go further up toward the plunger mechanism.  You'll see why later.



The actuator is not going to push and pull a rod as they normally are used.  For this install, it is going to move a rod up and down from the side in order to rotate the key latch mechanism.  The rod will go straight out the side of the plunger connecton.  I put a couple of bends in the rod to hold it in place for the install.  (Sorry for the fuzzy pic.)



The tailgate has a panel on it that is removed by taking out eight screws.  Inside you will find the key latch mechanism that rotates when you turn the key.  This rotation causes the gate latch to engage or not with the rod pulling mechanism to release the tailgate.  What I did was tie a rod onto the key latch mechanism so the plunger would rotate it.  From the inside of the tailgate, this is what we are going to accomplish:



The latch mechanism where the rod is tied onto has a thin part that I used wire ties to secure the rod to.  Both the rod and the plastic mechanism are very slick.  I thought I could use 2 or three wire ties to secure it, but they slip back and forth so I just filled up the space with 6 small wire ties so they could not go anywhere.



The actuator is slipped behind the tailgate for a test fit.  Holding the rod against the latch mechanism you can feel if the plunger travel is enough to rotate it.  Move the plunger closer to the lock to cause more rotation for the fixed stroke of the actuator.  Once you find the correct location, drill a couple of holes in the tailgate in the recessed area.  If you make your mounting plate longer than mine, you can drill the holes further apart which would be more secure.  Once the holes are in the tailgate, I used a couple of self drilling sheet metal screws to secure to the mounting plate.  Here you see the actuator mounted.



Here's the view from the other side showing the self drilling screws, the actuator, the rod and the wire ties in place.



I just filled up all the space on the narrow part of the mechanism with wire ties to keep them from slipping around.



Now comes the wiring part.  I had most of the wiring done as a part of other mods, and in the tailgate I did the reverse video and this at the same time.  In general, the wiring runs through the tailgate to a hole that was already present on the bottom of the tailgate, through a hole that goes under the bed to a connector that can be disconnected should I want to remove the tailgate.  From there the wires run up the passenger side frame, over to the body and up through a rubber plug in the wiring channel that runs under the door sills.  The passenger door locks are actuated by wires that are pink with a black stripe, and pink with an orange stripe (at least on mine, you should check your wiring diagram to be sure.)  The orange stripe is very hard to see so it looks like a pink wire.  These wires are located in the wiring channel that runs along the bottom of the cab doors.  I tapped into these in the wiring channel.  I didn't bother to figure out which polarity was which, I just tried it.  I would have reversed it if it was backwards, but Murphy was on vacation at that point of the install.



The wiring drops through the tailgate to an existing hole, then jogs over to a hole that goes under the bed.  This turns out to work very well, and the foot or so of wiring that rotates with the tailgate provides plenty of length for the wires to turn gently.  I don't expect any kind of failure as a result of moving the gate up and down.



This is the connector I used for the tailgate mods.  For just the lock, you only need 2 wires.  This supports 6 for the lock, video, and video power.



There are a couple more pictures of the wiring going through the tailgate in the reverse video mod section.

This is a fairly straightforward mod and very inexpensive (I paid $4.75 for the lock actuator.)  Given the high incidence of tailgate theft, this seems like a wonderful project for lots of handy folks.  Happy modding!