Tailgate noise...

[DamnYankee]

I hate rattles and noises when driving.

There are two things that are annoying with the Silverado tailgates:

1.) The stock location of the latch posts typically leaves enough slack so that you can move the tailgate back and forth (toward and away from the cab). This has been addressed before and is kind of a no-brainer, but if you remove the taillights, loosen the bolts holding the latch posts on, and move them forward (toward the cab) as far as they will go, this will typically pull the tailgate far enough ahead when you close it, that it eliminates the back and forth movement.

2.) The passengers side 'pivot' at the bottom of the tailgate has enough of a gap that it allows the tailgate to move up and down. You can physically lift on that side of the tailgate to see what I'm talking about. So that, coupled with the above issue makes for a lot of racket coming from the back of the truck when you hit bumps and whatnot. I had one of the very large zip ties (3/8" wide or so) and tightened it around the pivot post. It took some shoving to get the pivot pocket to slide over the pivot post due to the thickness of the zip tie, but it went. There are a couple of benefits to this: not only does it eliminate the tailgate movement but it also adds some friction when opening the tailgate...not exactly Tailgate Assist, but close.

Anyway, I have zero movement in my tailgate now. The zip tie will break over time I'm sure, but it should last for quite a while and will be an easy fix when it does break. Oh, and buy a black one so it blends better than the white one I used. It'd also be a good idea to throw some grease on the zip tie. Might extend it's life some.