Adding power lift gate?

[07ChevyHoe]

This forum is the shit btw, but my LT3 did not come with a rear power lift gate. Is it possible to add this option. I would assume everything is there to do it except the motor? And I know new key fobs would be necessary too. Any ideas on this or has anyone done it?

 

[fixxxer88]

only Ideas from me. I would try to find a parts manual/breakdown like the one on the gmpartsdirect.com and see what the difference is between your truck, and one with the PLG.
Who knows, you could luck out and only need some actuators and all the wiring could already be there.
If not, i dont know if it would be worth it. Because the PLG works off the factory fob settings, wiring is most likely ran to the PCM.
Its definitely worth looking into though.

 

[zach2011]

Anything is possible with the time and money. This will require a LOT of that. Many people will suggest you to trade in your truck for one with the power liftgate.

 

[stevek]

Well I know you'll at least be buying a few parts (including replacing the plastic part of the right pillar in the rear) because the pillars are different and the remaining parts are going to be expensive to get

 

[Modded]

Adding a power lift gte is pretty close to impossible, it would run like $5000 and alot of work to do it with the same parts the Tahoes that come with them have.
We discussed this alot on the old forum....

 

[jp306972]

Adding a powered rear lift gate was possible. I had to remove the existing wiring harness which unplugs at the floor in front of the driver's door and again on the passenger side floor in front of the door. Every plastic panel had to be removed and the headliner front dome lights replaced with a Denali one that controls fold up of two rear heated leather seats and actuates the rear lift gate. I also added four side curtain airbags but haven't gotten the airbag warning to shut down yet which will probably take some BCU programming. The gate, seat buttons, upgraded center console and 4 heated leather seats all work. I'm putting the new lifgate side panel in and adding the navigation stereo. In essence, use a junkyard upscale LTZ or Denali as your donor and be prepared to do a lot of work

 

[Tonyrodz]

Adding a powered rear lift gate was possible. I had to remove the existing wiring harness which unplugs at the floor in front of the driver's door and again on the passenger side floor in front of the door. Every plastic panel had to be removed and the headliner front dome lights replaced with a Denali one that controls fold up of two rear heated leather seats and actuates the rear lift gate. I also added four side curtain airbags but haven't gotten the airbag warning to shut down yet which will probably take some BCU programming. The gate, seat buttons, upgraded center console and 4 heated leather seats all work. I'm putting the new lifgate side panel in and adding the navigation stereo. In essence, use a junkyard upscale LTZ or Denali as your donor and be prepared to do a lot of work

Pretty nice you were able to figure it out. Unfortunately this thread is from 2010, so these guys are long gone. Post up some pics for the curious.

 

[jp306972]

 

[Tonyrodz]

View attachment 375246View attachment 375247View attachment 375249

DAMN!! You really dug in! Excellent work. Everything back together now? Works perfectly?

 

[jp306972]

As you can see, though it can be done, it takes a lot of work to upgrade a base model to something Denali class

 

[rezapci]

Would you update and steps that have you take?

 

[Electrickian]

Daaaamn! That looks too much like work. I don't know so good. But cool that you got it working. I landed here cuz I was looking into a custom set up for my '05

 

[Bronson357]

Honestly I don't think it's worth it except to push a button when loading groceries, like my tahoe holds any lol cool to see it done but not worth it imo

 

[Joseph Garcia]

A challenge, at best, but doable.

From Dr. Google.....

Converting a manual rear liftgate to a power liftgate on a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe LTZ is technically possible but highly complex. It requires purchasing a custom aftermarket retrofit kit, routing wiring harnesses, and installing new motorized lift supports, control modules, and dashboard/hatch switches.

OEM Parts Conversion (Not Recommended)
Trying to use factory GM parts from a donor Tahoe with a power liftgate requires entirely different body wiring harnesses, the primary power lift motor, pinch sensors, control modules, and the factory latch assembly. Because of the extensive labor, custom wiring, and computer re-flashing required, converting via factory parts is widely regarded by mechanics and forum enthusiasts as cost-prohibitive and impractical.

Aftermarket Retrofit Kits (The Practical Path)
Your best option is to purchase an aftermarket Automated Power Liftgate Retrofit Kit. These kits are engineered specifically to convert manual hatches to motorized, hands-free operation.
What a typical kit includes:

• Heavy-duty motorized lift struts (replacing your factory manual struts)
• Plug-and-play control module
• Custom wiring harness to route power from the rear to the front of the vehicle
• Dashboard and rear-hatch open/close buttons
• Hands-free foot sensor (optional upgrade on many kits)