[superdaver]

Has anyone run across a plastic tailgate handle for the 87-96 Dakota?

I'm doing some cosmetic cleanup on my 95 replacing a bunch of exterior/trim pieces. Have received two Kool-vue brand replacement handles now that are cast and powercoated and while cheap, both have shown up with chips/gouges right out of the factory packaging.

 

[RebelRide]

Well if you're talking about factory ones then I can just send you one. Of course I don't know the condition because its on a rolled truck parked at my parents. But I will try and get up there and see what I can do.

 

[superdaver]

Hmm, can anyone confirm if they've ever seen an actual plastic tailgate handle (oem or aftermarket) for these trucks?

The oem handle on my 95 is cast (likely pot metal) and paint/powdercoated black. The 2x Kool View brand replacement handles I received attempting to order a replacement are both paint/powdercoated cast, and unfortunately it seems possible to get one that isn't gauged up right out of the packaging. The replacement handles are cheap, but i think because they're cheap the company doesn't put any effort into quality control or better packaging.

I was hoping that there existed a tailgate handle out there the same as the factory textured black plastic door handles.

 

[TazRango]

AFAIK they are all metal - the latching mechanism in the tailgate requires much more force to unlock than the one in the doors, thus requires a heavier dutier handle.

 

[moonmage2018]

For me it is very important that the car looks like new. To do this, I learned how to restore gloss black plastic How to restore black rubber trim on car | Restoring auto trim . Here they showed that you can restore the shine of plastic at home yourself and save on replacement.