Remove handle on step tailgate??

[lhsnbsaoa]

I Have an 08 with the step tail gate, which is very handy and I love it. However I hardly ever use the handle and it just seems to get in the way. What would I need to do to remove this handle and get a piece of bedliner to cover the tailgate to give it a clean look? Has anyone done this before? Also There are three plastic pieces on the top of the tailgate, the center being the visible part of the step, the other two are decoration, they are kind of beat up and I would like to replace them as well. Any info would be great! Thanks!

[42Superman]

To remove the lift up handle is easy. It has four bolts under the black factory bed liner. I’ve had mine off since the first week I owned the truck. I never covered the holes but had a sprayed in bed liner installed. I thought about having a piece of black diamond plate cut to lie in over the factory holes.

[31 YNOT]

I just took off the handle and plastic cover and bought the cover that doesn't have the handle slot in it from Ford for $60 and put it on. Still have the step, No handle no holes in the gate looks like it was never there

[joshua5438]

I removed mine before I had the bed linexed. I went to a local salvage yard and got a cover from a regular bed F150. find a 97 to 03 F150 or F250 and the access cover will fit. I think I paid $11 for it. I also drilled the hole for my bed extender to lock in to place. It was a little tricky drilling the hole on the lip of the access cover but I wanted to have it drilled before I linexed it. I think it all looks factory once its sprayed!

[lhsnbsaoa]

Thanks for the tips guys. I think im gonna replace it with the flat bedliner piece and make it look good. Wonder if i can find that used somewhere...

[joshua5438]

Originally Posted by lhsnbsaoa

Thanks for the tips guys. I think im gonna replace it with the flat bedliner piece and make it look good. Wonder if i can find that used somewhere...

are you talking about the plastic bedliner for the tailgate? If so. Talk to your local Line X guy. The one that did mine had lots of liners lying around that people did not want once he did the spray in. He said that he has had to haul them off before because he had so many... If you want the metal one, just do like I mentioned and find a salvage or junk yard and get one.

[lhsnbsaoa]

I'm going to a junkyard today to see what I can find


Sent from the mower shop