{"id":834,"date":"2017-10-25T04:22:24","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T20:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectkeira.com\/home\/?p=834"},"modified":"2019-11-13T18:36:28","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:36:28","slug":"how-to-install-ez-down-tailgate-supports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/how-to-install-ez-down-tailgate-supports\/","title":{"rendered":"How-To: Install EZ-Down Tailgate Supports"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u200bAfter seeing the EZ-Down Tailgate Supports<\/strong> on a forums , I decided to give them a try. I bought a pair of kits off Amazon.com for $21-each. The part number to search for is SG325900EZ<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
I wasn\u2019t sure one would do it, so I purchased two kits.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TOOLS\/PARTS USED<\/u><\/strong>
\nInstallation is fairly basic, and should take less than 20 minutes, without rushing. You will need the tools listed below (#1-4) for a standard install; if you get the extra items (#5-12) then you can install the EZ-Strut kit exactly as I did.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tools required to install; fortunately everything here I already had in my garage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Required Tools (shown above)<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ratchet and 10mm, 12mm, 14mm sockets<\/li>\n
  2. 5mm and 6mm hex wrenches<\/li>\n
  3. Phillips screwdriver<\/li>\n
  4. Medium-sized needle-nosed pliers<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Optional Items (shown below)<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. 1\/2\u201d drive breaker bar (highly recommended!)<\/li>\n
    2. 1\/2\u201d drive 14mm socket<\/li>\n
    3. Regular automotive grease<\/li>\n
    4. Anti-seize grease<\/li>\n
    5. Shop rag<\/li>\n
    6. 3\/8\u201d I.D. neoprene washers, 10 pcs.<\/li>\n
    7. About 2\u201d of heat shrink tubing, 5\/8\u201d I.D. (before shrinking)<\/li>\n
    8. Heat gun or blowdryer (just for the shrink tubing)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"\"
      Extra stuff I used for the installation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      STEP 1:<\/strong>\u00a0Following the included basic instruction sheet, remove the LEFT side safety cable and bolt using your ratchet and a 12mm socket. I found that instead of trying to remove the cable first, it\u2019s easiest to just unthread the bolt as-is, once you get the bolt out it will easily separate from the cable eyelet.<\/p>\n

      STEP 2:<\/strong>\u00a0Using a 6mm hex Allen wrench, thread the new bolt and metal standoff into the bed side (thick lip towards the bed). Before installing the bolt I put a small dab of anti-seize on the bolt threads, and only went hand-tight on the bolt once it was flush.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      You can see a small dab of anti-seize just threading into the hole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"\"
      The blue hex wrenches I use in this how-to are ParkTool PH-5 and PH-6.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      STEP 3:<\/strong>\u00a0Next was to replace the lower brake lamp retaining bolt. This is o alsquick and easy using a ratchet and a 10mm socket. Like the cable bolt, I also put a dab of anti-seize on the threads of the new round head bolt, then installed it per instructions with a Phillips screwdriver.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Removing the OEM brake lamp retaining bolt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"\"
      OEM bolt on the left, replacement bolt on the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      STEP 4:<\/strong>\u00a0Now on to the EZ-Down mounting bracket. The plastic guide just pops onto the bracket, and then you have to remove the tailgate bolt.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Plastic guide just presses onto the EZ-Down bracket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      This is where I strongly recommend having a 1\/2\u201d drive breaker bar and 14mm socket – the tailgate bolt is on there really tight! Also, the left side bolt requires you to pull upward to loosen it – but if you try with a regular-sized ratchet handle, you\u2019ll just pull the whole tailgate up. Instead of struggling I just sat on the edge of the tailgate and easily broke the bolt loose with my old reliable breaker bar.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Breaker bars are very useful.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      OEM tailgate bolt up top, replacement flathead bolt below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      STEP 5:<\/strong>\u00a0The curved part of the EZ-Down bracket goes around the tailgate hinge. Line up the EZ-Down bracket bolt hole with the tailgate bolt hole, and install the new flathead bolt with a 6mm hex wrench( don\u2019t forget the anti-seize!). As you tighten the new bolt down, the coned portion of the bolt will align the EZ-Down bracket perfectly into position. If you have any trouble lining up the new bolt with the threaded hole in the tailgate, try lifting the tailgate slightly; this will help get the new bolt started in the threads.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Tighten until the EZ-Down bracket is flush up against the tailgate bracket.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      STEP 6:<\/strong>\u00a0Here\u2019s where I deviate again from the standard instructions. I noticed that the metal retaining tab on the upper eyelet was just clamped on. I didn\u2019t like the fact that I could pop the tab off with just my fingers:<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      This metal tab isn\u2019t attached very securely to the strut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"\"
      You can push the tab out of place with just a push of a finger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Before installing the struts I decided to use some heat shrink tubing to hold the little metal tabs in place. First I slid a 1\/2-inch piece of 5\/8\u201d I.D. (inner diameter) tubing over the strut body until it was over the retaining tab, the I used a heat gun to shrink it. Then I added a longer 1-inch piece that overlapped the strut body for good measure.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Heat shrink tubing slid over the tab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"\"
      After two layers of heat shrink tubing, it\u2019s ready to install.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      STEP 7:<\/strong>\u00a0With the strut ready, I put a small dab of grease on the upper standoff, then popped the safety cable back on followed by the upper strut eyelet. I like how the added heat shrink on the strut actually makes it match in appearance with the safety cable.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      STEP 8:<\/strong>\u00a0Now for the bottom part of the installation – attaching the EZ-Down strut to the tailgate. First I put a small dab of grease on the bracket pivot post, but before attaching the strut I slid a pair of 3\/8\u201d neoprene washers onto the pivot post.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      3\/8\u201d washers are slightly undersized, so you have to stretch them onto the post.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      The inner diameter of the washers are slightly smaller than the diameter of the bracket pivot post; this was done on purpose. Because they are stretched onto the post, the outer edges of the washers can be \u201cflipped outward\u201d to apply some slight pressure to the lower strut eyelet, keeping it from rattling around\u2026<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2026which makes for a nice vibration\/sound dampener. With the washers in place I then slid the lower eyelet onto the pivot point, and used needle-nosed pliers to snap the E-clip in place.<\/p>\n

      \"\"
      Lower strut eyelet goes on\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"\"
      \u2026followed by the E-clip.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      BONUS LEARN SOMETHING FUN FACT:<\/strong>\u00a0All metal E-clips are \u201cdirectional\u201d. One side has a rounded edge, the other side has a squared edge. To figure out what side is what, just pinch the e-clip between two fingers and move your fingertips – the side of the e-clip that catches onto your skin is the squared side.<\/em><\/p>\n

      That said, when you install the e-clip, make sure the rounded edge is against the strut (squared edge facing outward). The rounded edge will not grab like the squared edge, so the e-clip will less likely pop off on its own. Here is a photo of how the lower parts look when assembled:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2026and here\u2019s a photo of the final result:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      At first I only installed the left side EZ-Down strut, then checked the speed at which the tailgate came down and I didn\u2019t think it was enough. Also, like the example videos showing how the EZ-Down works, the first 1\/3 or so of the tailgate dropping open is at normal speed – then all of a sudden it slows down as the strut catches and does its thing. This sudden \u201cjolt\u201d also pulls the upper eyelet back into the groove in the standoff, which I suspect adds to wear and tear and possible strut failure. With that in mind I went ahead and installed the second EZ-Down strut on the right side (exact same steps as the left) and now the tailgate slows down much quicker and with no tailgate jolt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \u200bAfter seeing the EZ-Down Tailgate Supports on a forums , I decided to give them…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":835,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[372,66,374,147,373],"class_list":["post-834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-howtos","tag-ez-down","tag-how-to","tag-hydraulic","tag-tailgate","tag-tailgate-support"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=834"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1512,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions\/1512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectkeira.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}