himynameisbrain
Supporting Member
Good day everyone,
As this is my first post on the forums, I thought I would take the time to make a quick how-to on a problem I recently experienced with my Tahoe's applique. I was so grateful for the information I found on here that I wanted to give something back to the community. Much thanks to "fiatdale" and "nathanjax" for their knowledge and expertise and the following posts for getting me where I needed to go with my DIY fix:
- http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44482
- http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48234&page=2
With that being said, lets get down to business. This fix was specifically performed on a 2007 Tahoe LT V8 5.3L.
Myself and many other individuals have come to find out they either had an issue or will have an issue with the removal or re-application of their applique on the tailgate of a Tahoe / Yukon. In my case I bought a Tahoe and never realized that the applique is supposed to be held on by more than the 2 plastic clips on either end of the unit. In fact, I thought nothing of it until one day when closing the tailgate slightly harder than usual popped the thing right off the back. After much research I discovered how to re-attach it and identify the cause and condition of the interior mounts. Needless to say this is a true DIY, but it sure beat the heck out of buying a new applique (new or used).
Step 1: The Tools
For this project, you will need the following tools:
- Adjustable wrench
- Socket wrench
- #10 Deep Socket and extension
- 1/2 in. Socket
- 5/32 Allen Wrench
- Flathead Screwdriver
- Pliers
- JB Weld
- 1/4 in. rubber washers (optional)
Step 2: Dis-assembly
These next few steps also apply if your trying to remove your applique for the first time. As you can see in the photo below my applique was already fallen off and the mounting brackets that hold the screws allowed them to spin freely and pop out thus unable to re-tighten or properly re-seat them.
You will need to first remove the entire panel on the back of the tailgate. Use your 5/32 allen wrench to remove the screws holding in place the handle on the underside of the tailgate in addition to the handle with the leather strap (if applicable) located in the center left of the tail gate. Once screws are removed go ahead and pop those suckers out. Use the flat head screwdriver to get in between the panel and the tailgate and SLOWLY go around it popping the plastic mounts away from the tailgate. After that, you will attempt to take the panel off but notice it is caught on the locking mechanism that releases the tailgate window. You will need to also remove the 2 black plastic plugs to finally slide the panel off. A light tap on them with your socket wrench will loosen them enough for you to then pry them off with a flat head from the opposite side (open the tailgate window to get them off after you tap them from the other side). Be extremely careful when tapping the plugs. I have marked in the picture where those are and what the tailgate will look like once panel is removed.
At this point you can get to 3 of the 4 bolts of the applique. The 4th of course being in the crappiest place possible thus requiring you to remove: you guessed it, the windshield wiper blade and motor! For the blade on the outside pop off the cover protecting the nut and use your 1/2 in. socket to remove the nut. After removal, you'll have to jiggle the blade a little in different directions to get it to budge. After that proceed to remove the 2 nuts on the wiper motor with your #10 deep socket. (Note: if the bolt spins freely not allowing you to unscrew the nut like mine did, you'll have to use a little lube on the bolt and a #10 wrench or pliers to hold the nut in place while you stick a flat head on the end of the bolt itself and unscrew it. If your lucky to get it far enough down the bolt you can then just use the pliers to hold the bolt head while you finish unscrewing the nut with the #10 socket to help give you the torque you might inevitably need). Remove the power / molex connector by sticking your flat head in the clip grove and pull the connector while depressing the clip.
Once removed, you can now proceed to remove all 4 of the applique bolts. This is where you will want to use your #10 deep socket and extension. If you are removing your applique for the first time, it appears that GM put loctite on the bold before securing. You will want to heat up the bolt a little bit with either a lighter or a torch to make the blue loctite malleable before proceeding to unscrew. To unscrew successfully, you will want to pull the applique AWAY from the vehicle while socketing it to create the necessary tension to get it to go. If your applique is already dismounted and holding on for dear life like mine was, you can use the pliers to hold the bolt head on the outside of the tailgate while unscrewing the nut from the inside. If you do not have long arms like I do or don't feel mighty adventurous, you may need to ask a buddy or a neighbor to help you with this part. Once off, the light bulbs unlock 45 degrees counter clockwise and release. The rear window unlocker button removes with the simple plastic clip. The 2 plastic clips holding the wire assembly to the applique is essentially like a zip tie. I tried to use the flat head to push the stop lock down while pulling the zip out but wasn't successful. I ended up just putting the flat head in the zip side-by-side with the wiring assembly and pulling the zip out. It did not appear to grind the plastic down or compromise its ability to re-zip / lock when putting back together. Please feel free to be creative in this last part or correct me on a more "proper" method of removal. This worked for me but might not work for everyone else.
At this point, you can either re-attach a new applique and put everything back together OR continue to fix your broken applique as was the case in my scenario.
Step 3: The Break-Fix Solution
For the next step, you'll want to essentially epoxy in (JB Weld) the old bolts into the applique mounts. You may or may not need new rubber bolt washers before putting everything back together. In my case, the old ones were crap. You can see a side-by-side comparison of new vs. old washers that came off mine:
The way these bolts were originally designed was to slide in and out of the applique mounts. When in the mount it was a snug enough fit to not allow the bolt head to spin freely when attempting to screw / unscrew the nuts. In my case, it appears someone just ripped the applique off in an attempt to fix something requiring its removal either out of frustration or lack of knowledge on the process (this is common)
Don't forget to clean and lubricate your hardware before putting it back together. Hopefully you'll never have to remove this again but if you do you'll be thankful that it comes off a hell of a lot easier!
When you are ready its time to mix up your JB weld. For mixing and the applicator I just used a small flat head screwdriver (wipe it off immediately after your done or else you'll be throwing that away). The goal here is to evenly distribute the JB weld on the inside of the bolt mount, place the bolt inside of it, then fill all around the bolt with the JB weld (wiping clean and smoothing out of course if you're OCD like me
). The results should look a little something like this:
Ideally you want to wait 15-24 hours for the JB Weld to cure before attempting to put everything back together. Also I should mention you should leave the washers OFF the bolt until you are ready to mount. You don't want the bolt and washer to fuse together with the JB weld in case you ever need to replace the washer in the future.
Step 4: Putting It All Back Together
To put everything back together, simply read this post backwards starting from the bottom
I hope this post can help out anyone that may be in the same position I was. The knowledge contained in this forum is a blessing so this is my way of paying it forward. Thank you.
As this is my first post on the forums, I thought I would take the time to make a quick how-to on a problem I recently experienced with my Tahoe's applique. I was so grateful for the information I found on here that I wanted to give something back to the community. Much thanks to "fiatdale" and "nathanjax" for their knowledge and expertise and the following posts for getting me where I needed to go with my DIY fix:
- http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44482
- http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48234&page=2
With that being said, lets get down to business. This fix was specifically performed on a 2007 Tahoe LT V8 5.3L.
Myself and many other individuals have come to find out they either had an issue or will have an issue with the removal or re-application of their applique on the tailgate of a Tahoe / Yukon. In my case I bought a Tahoe and never realized that the applique is supposed to be held on by more than the 2 plastic clips on either end of the unit. In fact, I thought nothing of it until one day when closing the tailgate slightly harder than usual popped the thing right off the back. After much research I discovered how to re-attach it and identify the cause and condition of the interior mounts. Needless to say this is a true DIY, but it sure beat the heck out of buying a new applique (new or used).
Step 1: The Tools
For this project, you will need the following tools:
- Adjustable wrench
- Socket wrench
- #10 Deep Socket and extension
- 1/2 in. Socket
- 5/32 Allen Wrench
- Flathead Screwdriver
- Pliers
- JB Weld
- 1/4 in. rubber washers (optional)
Step 2: Dis-assembly
These next few steps also apply if your trying to remove your applique for the first time. As you can see in the photo below my applique was already fallen off and the mounting brackets that hold the screws allowed them to spin freely and pop out thus unable to re-tighten or properly re-seat them.
You will need to first remove the entire panel on the back of the tailgate. Use your 5/32 allen wrench to remove the screws holding in place the handle on the underside of the tailgate in addition to the handle with the leather strap (if applicable) located in the center left of the tail gate. Once screws are removed go ahead and pop those suckers out. Use the flat head screwdriver to get in between the panel and the tailgate and SLOWLY go around it popping the plastic mounts away from the tailgate. After that, you will attempt to take the panel off but notice it is caught on the locking mechanism that releases the tailgate window. You will need to also remove the 2 black plastic plugs to finally slide the panel off. A light tap on them with your socket wrench will loosen them enough for you to then pry them off with a flat head from the opposite side (open the tailgate window to get them off after you tap them from the other side). Be extremely careful when tapping the plugs. I have marked in the picture where those are and what the tailgate will look like once panel is removed.
At this point you can get to 3 of the 4 bolts of the applique. The 4th of course being in the crappiest place possible thus requiring you to remove: you guessed it, the windshield wiper blade and motor! For the blade on the outside pop off the cover protecting the nut and use your 1/2 in. socket to remove the nut. After removal, you'll have to jiggle the blade a little in different directions to get it to budge. After that proceed to remove the 2 nuts on the wiper motor with your #10 deep socket. (Note: if the bolt spins freely not allowing you to unscrew the nut like mine did, you'll have to use a little lube on the bolt and a #10 wrench or pliers to hold the nut in place while you stick a flat head on the end of the bolt itself and unscrew it. If your lucky to get it far enough down the bolt you can then just use the pliers to hold the bolt head while you finish unscrewing the nut with the #10 socket to help give you the torque you might inevitably need). Remove the power / molex connector by sticking your flat head in the clip grove and pull the connector while depressing the clip.
Once removed, you can now proceed to remove all 4 of the applique bolts. This is where you will want to use your #10 deep socket and extension. If you are removing your applique for the first time, it appears that GM put loctite on the bold before securing. You will want to heat up the bolt a little bit with either a lighter or a torch to make the blue loctite malleable before proceeding to unscrew. To unscrew successfully, you will want to pull the applique AWAY from the vehicle while socketing it to create the necessary tension to get it to go. If your applique is already dismounted and holding on for dear life like mine was, you can use the pliers to hold the bolt head on the outside of the tailgate while unscrewing the nut from the inside. If you do not have long arms like I do or don't feel mighty adventurous, you may need to ask a buddy or a neighbor to help you with this part. Once off, the light bulbs unlock 45 degrees counter clockwise and release. The rear window unlocker button removes with the simple plastic clip. The 2 plastic clips holding the wire assembly to the applique is essentially like a zip tie. I tried to use the flat head to push the stop lock down while pulling the zip out but wasn't successful. I ended up just putting the flat head in the zip side-by-side with the wiring assembly and pulling the zip out. It did not appear to grind the plastic down or compromise its ability to re-zip / lock when putting back together. Please feel free to be creative in this last part or correct me on a more "proper" method of removal. This worked for me but might not work for everyone else.
At this point, you can either re-attach a new applique and put everything back together OR continue to fix your broken applique as was the case in my scenario.
Step 3: The Break-Fix Solution
For the next step, you'll want to essentially epoxy in (JB Weld) the old bolts into the applique mounts. You may or may not need new rubber bolt washers before putting everything back together. In my case, the old ones were crap. You can see a side-by-side comparison of new vs. old washers that came off mine:
The way these bolts were originally designed was to slide in and out of the applique mounts. When in the mount it was a snug enough fit to not allow the bolt head to spin freely when attempting to screw / unscrew the nuts. In my case, it appears someone just ripped the applique off in an attempt to fix something requiring its removal either out of frustration or lack of knowledge on the process (this is common)
Don't forget to clean and lubricate your hardware before putting it back together. Hopefully you'll never have to remove this again but if you do you'll be thankful that it comes off a hell of a lot easier!
When you are ready its time to mix up your JB weld. For mixing and the applicator I just used a small flat head screwdriver (wipe it off immediately after your done or else you'll be throwing that away). The goal here is to evenly distribute the JB weld on the inside of the bolt mount, place the bolt inside of it, then fill all around the bolt with the JB weld (wiping clean and smoothing out of course if you're OCD like me
). The results should look a little something like this:Ideally you want to wait 15-24 hours for the JB Weld to cure before attempting to put everything back together. Also I should mention you should leave the washers OFF the bolt until you are ready to mount. You don't want the bolt and washer to fuse together with the JB weld in case you ever need to replace the washer in the future.
Step 4: Putting It All Back Together
To put everything back together, simply read this post backwards starting from the bottom
I hope this post can help out anyone that may be in the same position I was. The knowledge contained in this forum is a blessing so this is my way of paying it forward. Thank you.
Last edited:
