I am a owner of a 2004 F-150 King Crew 4x4. I just bought and have already received the "Line of Fire" LED turn/tail light bar, but I am having a install problem. I thought you folks out there might be able to help clear this up. Here is the problem, as I am sure you know, the 04 and up trucks have the new "lift assist" tailgate that makes closing the gate easier. The problem is the small bar that sticks out from the bottom of the tailgate into the bed of the truck. Ford is the only truck on the market that has this feature (which I love by the way) but this presents a problem when installing the Line of Fire. Additionally, Most pick-up's are flat across the entire surface where the LED bar is to be installed, but being the 150 has this lift assist which protrudes out about 1/2 inch, the mounting surface is no longer flat and the LED bar will not mount correctly. Did any of you have any of these problems when you installed yours? Did you install the shorter LED bar for this reason or did you use the full size version? Lastly, the bar that I received has three (3) small double-sided tape rectangles for installation. Is this all yours used? It seems to me that the three simply will not be enough for secure adheasion. Thank you in advance for your time and help with this matter. You can e-mail me directly @ glenngatley@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Glenn

 

Well, I don't know what size you bought but on my 03 I think it is the 49inch model. Like I said, 03 so I can not advise on the 04 model install. Mine fits under the tail gate and is just the right length. On the adhesion tape, I would suggest that once you stick it on you drill some screws in to hold it on. I did not check your location but in hot weather the tape will eventually loose adhesion and come off.

 

[I]I bought the longer version of the lightbar (the one intended for full size pick-up's) being that is what I own. Are you saying that I need the smaller bar (the one intended for mini pick-up's) in order to install this item? I am so freaking pissed off that this is not mentioned when you buy the thing!!! I ordered the light bar for a 04-06 Ford F-150 and you would think that they would say that this item does not fit vehicles with the "lift assist" option... I guess its time to return the darn thing

 

All Ford 150 tail gates are lift assist, the pin you are talking about is a safety catch that stop the gate from bouncing off the pivot if you drive with it in the down pos.. not many have it, some do, most don't, mine don't... I believe the pin can be unscrewed from the gate... so I've been told....
hope this helps....

 

trucks from kansas city and dearborn have the pin

NONE of the trucks from norfork plant have the pin, I first noticed this on the 04 models.

put any weight on the pin and the metal of the bed will bend/distort

the pin is there to keep us from letting the tailgate from dropping on to the bumper when we remove the retaining cables on the sides prior to removing the tailgate

if tailgate contacts the bumper you can bend if or at the least mess up the paint on the tailgate

all of ours are from norfork without the pin

the pin is FORDS better idea to protect us from ourselves

 

I modified mine. I noticed the actual circuit board stopped 3 inches before the end of the bar so I used a hacksaw and cut off 2.5 inches. These things are basically a strip of circuit board in a clear tube. I then filled in the hole with a clear silicone sealant and let it cure overnight. Since my truck doesn't have the lift-assist piece you mention it was a snap to pull the gate off and install the lightbar. Since it works with turn signals I had to put tape over the last 3 led's on the right side to balance it out . It looks great! The whole job had a swear factor of .5 out of 5. I hope this helps you out. I think you'll be pleased with the outcome if you feel like doing the chop work. I was a bit apprehensive since the first cut voided any warranty or return. It worked out fine though.

 

Here is what the lightbar lookslike in all its glory!