DIY pop and lock for a fraction of the cost

I did pretty much exactly as the original post. But if you have questions let me know. Only thing I did different was to drill down through the pin to bolt it together. Text me, it'll be easier since I'm at work. PM sent

 

@jaredmillerdvm I can not thank you enough for this tutorial. I absolutely love it and it one of the least expensive mods I've done, saved me soooo much money. I sometimes forgot to lock my tailgate and didn't wanna spend 100 on a pop n lock.
For anyone on the fence, you should do this. It's easy, cheapand takes an hour or 2. You won't find a more rewarding mod IMO.
Mine has been on a week or 2. No issues, I did use a bolt to hold the arm onto the pin which I think will last forever without it ever popping off. It's not loud, no louder than the actuators in the doors for the power locks, yes you can hear it but you can hear all the locks.
Thanks again.

 

@Pudge not a problem, I enjoyed doing it. I’m glad it was so helpful and if mine pops off I will be using your bolt technique for sure!

 

Ok, I guess I'll give this a go. Never used positaps before. What size should I get? All I see in Amazon is 20-22 awg.

 

16-18ga

 

I've been busy with some things and finally got around to wrapping this up today. Thanks Sean for your help, and thanks to jaredmillerdvm for the great write up!

 

I gave up trying to upload the video with the sound of the Pop and Lock tailgate lock. Here's the youtube video.

 

To add on for anyone who hasn’t done this or is on the fence... the hardest part by far was threading the wire through the split tubing that you run under the truck. Everything else was easy. For those with a 2018 go to YouTube and search 2018 tundra pop lock for the correct wiring. It should be the first video that shows up.

A few tips I found along my journey....

I started the wire at the front of the truck under the passenger door. There is a rubber “damnit” plug under the passenger floorboard, cut a hole in the plug and run the wires through there. It’s much easier than going through the engine compartment. After pulling up a few feet of wire through the passenger floorboard connect them to the wiring harness like the beginning of this thread. Then run the wires through the split loom down the underside of the truck and zip tie your new split loom to the main OEM wire harness under the passenger side. You can’t miss it. Once you get to the tailgate holes run a coat hanger or metal “fish” from the opening of the tailgate you removed with all the torx screws down to the small hole you drilled earlier in the plastic rectangular piece. Connect your wire to the coat hanger or fish, then pull the wires through. This is the easiest way I found to get the wires through.

Get one of these. I don’t know what they are called but it’s a thin metal bar I got at Lowe’s for another project and had a few left over. Drill out the first hole to 15/64 of an inch.



Count down 3 of the holes and cut it off flat


Add a small machine screw, 2 washers (optional), and top it off with a nylon lock nut



Bend the brass colored bar that comes with the lock into a z shape. This will make adjusting the lock easier later. Cut off the excess brass bar after you measure the slot where the bolt goes in. You will have to grind the slot wider in order to fit the 10 mm bolt back into it. I suggest opening up the entire slot so you can adjust the lock to where it fits best.


Add the lock and 10mm bolt but don’t tighten it completely. Notice the order that I placed the drilled out entension. Press down on the black plastic piece with the nipple poking up, lift on the metal slotted tab and separate the two. Place the newly bored out metal tab attached to the lock over this plastic piece, then pop the other metal slotted tab over both of them. There should be enough tension on the slotted metal tab to hold your lock in place. This way you don’t have to add a retaining clip or zip tie the lock on to the mechanism.


~$30 later and you are done.

Edit: spelling. I did this on my phone. Don’t hate me

Edit Edit: clarifications

 

Brilliant!

 

Winner winner on figuring out the way to attach to that plastic pin. Great job. I may end up going back and doing this one day.

 

Finished this over the weekend. Thanks for the write up and everyone else’s tips.

 

I did this yesterday. I just want to thank @jaredmillerdvm for writing this up and everyone else for chiming in . Cheers!

 

Does anybody know what wires to tap on a 2nd gen? I've done a few searches and can't seem to find it.

Ran my wires to the tailgate today and the actuator is supposed to be here tomorrow.

Thanks in advance

 

I’d check YouTube

 

Thanks. Found the one for a '13 which I think will work for mine. I'll dig up a wiring diagram and double check.

 

Well I wrapped up my install today. Gotta say, it's pretty sweet.

Ran my wires along the harness on the passenger side and up thru the grommet on the firewall. I snipped the end off that little nipple but it ended up ripping off when I pulled the wires thru. Sealed it up with some black silicone.



I didn't like the steel strap thing for mounting so I made a mount from some stuff in my scrape metal bucket. A piece of 3/4 alum square tubing and 3/4 alum angle. Won't have to worry about the actuator eventually flopping around back there.

Square tube mounted to actuator.


Had to sand it down quite a bit on the back end so it wouldn't sit against the outside shell of the tailgate.


Added the angle with some pop rivets.


Mounted. I used @dud13 method to connect the actuator to the lock assembly. Great idea @dud13


All buttoned up. Sturdy and purdy


Didn't have any wire taps so I soldered my connections. I prefer a soldered connection over a tap anyway so it wasn't a big deal.


For those with a 2010 Tundra, there is no blue/silver and white/silver wire, at least not that I could find. After probing with my wire probe thingy this solid blue and solid white wires are the ones I used. They're on the 3rd blue connector from the top under the passenger side kick panel.


Everything is all buttoned back up and I now have a remote locking tailgate thanks to all the awesome inputs on this thread.

Thanks guys.

 

Nice job!

 

thank you guys. did my own install today on this and it works great!!

 

+1 from me on this one - did the install last night following the original instructions and it worked great! I did end up drilling through the ABS post and using a pan head screw with washer to keep the actuator in place, but other than that, followed OP with good results.

 

I knocked this out today. Thanks @jaredmillerdvm! I took a page out of @dud13’s book too, but using a section of hacksaw blade.




Wrapped with sound mat



I ran the wires through the existing wire loom for the camera.



And added a splice so I could remove the tailgate if I ever needed to.



Went through the floor near the back seat

 

I may go back and run mine through the camera loom and add a disconnect if I need to remove the tailgate as well. Very cool idea!

 

One of the cleanest installs yet. Good idea with the splice and using the existing loom ( I tried but gave up lol) and I love the hacksaw hack. Thanks for sharing this, it's such a great inexpensive mod

 

Thanks @Pudge. It would have been cleaner if I hadn’t bent my bracket a bit while enlarging the hole for the 10mm bolt! lol

Oh, and the loom for the camera is actually two pieces of loom, one inside the other. It was a real bitch to get my wire in there.

I used 18g wire btw. 16g was much larger than necessary.

 

I also used 18, the wiring on the actuator seemed like 20 or maybe 22.
But that loom was still a bitch so I have up trying.
My bracket bent too, was not easy to hold flat once the damn drill bit started to bite and twist the shit out of that flimsy metal

 

I came back and added the disconnects today. Also went back through the existing wire loom for the camera.

+1. Very good idea @Hoologan. Much cleaner look.

 

So I watch a video and skimmed thru this post. Maybe I missed it. If you do this it looks like you wont be able to take tailgate off if needed. Is that right? I would like to be able to remove it when needed.

 

Put a quick disconnect in line and then you can remove the tailgate.

Post #83, picture #5.

 

Lol. Right on this page. Thanks. Think I had too many drinks tonight.

 

With the reported spare tire thefts I’m wondering if there is a way to adapt one of these, or something similar to prevent someone stealing the spare?