Tail gate cables

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alpinecrick

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Opened the tail gate today and one of the cables is busted. Knew there was something I wanted to do to the tail gate this fall before hunting season.............

Anyway, what are the good ones? Ones to stay away from? Or are they all the same?
 

Mr_white_obs

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Can't seem to find the forum back, but I swear there were guys who put the metal straps on their tailgates from the older trucks to replace the cables and they like them better.

I put the cheapest tailgate cables on mine and they held up just fine for a few years now.
 

PlayingWithTBI

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I bought a replacement cable from the "Help" section at O'Reileys. The issue I had is now one is a tad shorter than the other, kind of putting the tail gate under undue stress. After a couple years they evened out, LOL. I'd replace both next time with same sourced products.
 

slovcan

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I replaced the pair of mine when one broke. I have one original left if you want it - more likely the right length if yours are still original. Of course, postage might make it more expensive than a pair of cheapies closer to home for you.
 

454cid

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The steel straps were only used the first year or two. I'd love to have a set. A girl I used to work with had them on her early 400. My dad's old 90 had the cables.

I replaced my cables, and I think I bought them from the dealer. I do think one is shorter, or was.... I haven't paid attention to that recently. That could be the way the bed is built, for all I know.
 

slovcan

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I replaced my cables, and I think I bought them from the dealer. I do think one is shorter, or was.... I haven't paid attention to that recently. That could be the way the bed is built, for all I know.

My originals were definitely the same length, but the replacements were both different length (same as each other, but different than the original).
 

Erik the Awful

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The steel straps were only used the first year or two. I'd love to have a set. A girl I used to work with had them on her early 400. My dad's old 90 had the cables.
My '89 has the steel straps. So, likely only '88-89 had them, but GM, so there are probably some '89s with cables and some '90s with straps depending on what they found cleaning out a closet and threw on the assembly line.
 

PlayingWithTBI

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My '89 has the steel straps. So, likely only '88-89 had them, but GM, so there are probably some '89s with cables and some '90s with straps depending on what they found cleaning out a closet and threw on the assembly line.
I don't know what GM's wisdom was for installing cables or straps. My 88 has cables.
 

Steven Petersen

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Only the metal straps were used in 88-89. Here’s the 88-89 parts catalog along with pics of my 88. I believe there’s also a difference in tailgate mounting holes for brackets vs cables, but I can’t confirm that.
 
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