My brother's tailgate got stolen a bunch of years ago and I'm trying to surprise him with a "new" one for his birthday. He has a 2003 F-150 with a cab that has the 2 doors, but not the full size big doors. (I'm a girl, this is the best description I can come up with ha) It seems to me that there might be 2 body styles for this year, a styleside and flareside. Is that correct? Or are there more options? He definitely doesn't have the flareside. So, to that end, would this fit his truck:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...:X:RTQ:US:1123

Or might the Harley Davidson version be its on different size/style/etc? Seems to me the only thing Harley about that tailgate is the orange stripe.

Any help would be appreciated. Specific instructions on what I should be looking for would be amazing. I have another white option, but I'm trying really hard to get him a black one for his black truck (who cares about the stripe!).

 

Hey fish,
That certainly looks to be the correct tail gate. However, that price seems way too high. You may want to try and go to a local salvage yard. Good luck.

P.S. Very thoughtful of you to get one for your brother.

 

You should be able to find a better one in your area that you can pick up yourself (save on shipping charges). Plus, that one your looking at looks beat and from all that I can see, it's missing pieces. The cover plate for one.

Try here, http://www.car-part.com/ to locate a tailgate close to home. Fill in the necessary info and most of all, -type in your zip code. They're locator will search from your area outward and present you with a list, description and phone numbers.

Free service

 

Thanks for the tip. I checked them and there aren't really any black ones close by. And I'm not driving to check one out in another color, ha.

I thought $300 + shipping was high too. I've found this one that is $300 total... http://www.ebay.com/itm/400301799543...witem=&vxp=mtr

What should I be paying, if I can't get it local?

 

Check craigslist. Even if it is a different color, you can get it painted for about $100-150, at least around where I am. Personally, I wouldn't order anything like that and have it shipped because shipping prices would be outrageous.

 

That tailgate looks to be for a supercrew, which will not fit your brother's bed if he has (what sounds like) a supercab (or extended cab for a more generic name).
To clarify things, is this what your brother's cab/bet setup looks like? If so, the tailgate in that link will not fit his truck.

 

fishsniper: I've already checked craigslist. They are not as easy to come by as one may think


1clean42: Which link? The Harley Davidson one?

 

Yes, the Harley Davidson one. Harleys only came on flaresides for 99-00 and supercrews for 01-03, never in a styleside (like my truck pictured above). So if your brother's truck is like mine, I'm 100% sure it won't fit.

 

$200-$300 is a reasonable price for a good tailgate with the latch, badges, in the right color.

Take a tape measure to the salvage yard. A styleside tailgate will be 60" wide, a flareside 49". you want the wider one.

Once you get a suitable tailgate (salvage yards are your best bet), go to Lowes and get a $1 hose clamp - it will slow down the casual tailgate theif:

 

Flare side and supercrew share the same tailgate. (shorter width)

So you're looking for a standard F150 tailgate, or even an F250 tailgate.


Easiest way to identify the tailgate is the detail around the handle.
The "standard" or "styleside" has a long crease all the way across the top near the handle.



The flareside/supercrew has a short dome around the handle.

 

THANK YOU! This is the EXACT information I have been looking for all along. You rock!

 

Glad i could help you out! Good luck on your search