The strut kit for the 1981-87 trucks is a gas strut that lets a late Squarebody tailgate down slowly. It mounts on a ball stud at the trunnion and a stainless bracket on the bed side, so there is no welding. First, check which trunnion bolt your gate has, because the 3/8″ and 5/16″ versions change one step. Then allow about an hour, since the driver side strap has to come off.
Tools you will need
- Drill with a 5/16″ bit, plus a 3/8″ tap if your trunnion bolt is the smaller size
- Sockets and wrenches for the taillight and trunnion bolts
- Grinder or cut-off wheel for the strap rivet
- Blue thread locker, tape measure and a marker
1981-87 tailgate saver install steps
The 1981-87 tailgate saver mounts on a gas spring, so keep the shaft pointing down once it is on the truck.
- First, remove the driver side factory bolt that attaches the trunnion onto the tailgate.
- Install the ball stud. If this bolt is a 3/8″ body bolt, install the provided 3/8″ ball stud at the base of the tailgate using thread locker.
- Drill and tap if needed. If your tailgate trunnion uses a 5/16″ body bolt, drill and tap the hole to accept our larger, stronger 3/8″ ball stud.
Bed side bracket
- Next, remove the taillight and housing.
- Drill the support bracket hole. From the top of the tailgate trunnion bolt (box panel side), measure up 6″ and 1/2″ back, then drill a 5/16″ hole.
- Attach the support bracket. Attach the LS stainless steel support bracket with the supplied M8 ball stud, washer, and jam nut.
- Drill the lower hole. Using the bracket as a guide, drill the lower hole and attach the M8 button head bolt and jam nut.
- Reinstall the taillight housing.
- Remove the driver side tailgate strap by grinding off the factory rivet that attaches the metal strap to the tailgate latch catch.
- Attach the Gate Saver with the shaft pointing down.
- Finally, check clearance. Slowly cycle through the opening and closing motion to check for clearance.
The gate saver controls the drop, but it does not support the weight of the gate, so use your judgement on heavy loads once the strap is gone. The earlier trucks mount differently, and the 1973-80 tailgate saver guide covers those. The 1981-87 trucks use the later front end but share the cab with the whole run, so most of our 73-87 Squarebody truck parts fit yours — including bead rolled firewalls and billet door strikers.
For any questions or concerns with your install, don’t hesitate to email us at info@lsfab.com
Hi guys just bought your shock for the 82 s10, any instructions for that on here?
here you go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp2UrLT4XLw