Can anyone help me with this? i would like to try and get this open without ripping off the bed liner on it and unscrewing the metal skins(i see hex headed bolts)

i dont see any way to take the handle apart . . . how the heck can i open the damn thing? do i have to saw it in half and get a new one?

it was rear ended and the bottom part is all dented, could that be it? . . . any tips pointers help is appreciated . . . thanks guys

 

I'm pretty sure you are going to have to go in though the back side (hex screws). If it was easy to disassemble from the outside, thieves could do it.

If the fender bender bent the horizontal bars that actuate the release mechanism though the lift bar, that is not going to be good. If you get a picture of the inside guts of a tailgate you'll see what I mean.

 

so you're saying i should either get a. a sawzall(sp?) and a welder or b. a sawzall and a new tailgate?

 

It WILL be easier to replace it. If the gate housing is slightly bent, the threaded rods will not work properly.

Just pop off the plate, hold the handle up, and pull the rods. It will pop open.

Mike

 

Try pressing forward on the tailgate and opening it. sometimes the lock is just in an angle that cant be opened until you push it towards the bed.

 

Gotta love Fords and their tailgates! lol I agree with everyone else. Pull it apart.

 

Nope! lol They suck. I must say that GM's tailgates in this era of trucks were much better. I have to open mine from inside the bed by pulling the rods together because the handle is all screwed up and its a kind of a pain. Not to mention they aren't very heavy duty. I see 87-96 trucks all the time with tailgates off another truck and even a couple work trucks with homeade latches screwed on the outside...

 

Amen Fish. Although I have seen many chevys with the handle problem. Gotta reach up in there and pull those rods together. Oh well, noones perfect. Instead of complaining maybe we should put our heads together and build a tailgate that will never fail by not opening!

 

thanks guys, i will try this tomorrow

if the rods are bent, i will try to just straighten them to see if it works. hopefully thats the only thing thats wrong

 

ok so the rods arent bent. . . . the right one(as you look down onto them) was just stuck. also, the hook thingy that pushes down on the latch(the hook is part of/the backside of the chrome handle - one on each side) was bent and not contacting the latch at all. i actually just pulled the bar and opened the tailgate. the whole thing almost came off cause whatever idiot had the truck before, tried to cut the cup that hold the gate on the rod . . . anyway, so i opened it and closed it again to open and close it a few times and now its stuck again. only this time, i cant get it open no matter how hard i push pull shake or bang on anything


what the frickin heck do i do now?!?! lol

i -did- try and straighten the hook thingy some by pulling it back over to where it should be with a pair of pliers . . . and thats when it stopped working. . . could this have done it? the rods arent bent that i could tell, nothing is impeding the bars to move that i can tell either. they should move fine. i even tried some deep creep to lubricate everything but nothing. the right bar latch is stuck in the down position and the bar itself is stuck in the open position yet it wont open!?!?!???? everything is pretty rusty in there, i am gonna replace it all but i cant even open it to get to it!? lol

do you think that if i remove the whole latch mechanism that it would be easier to open? im gonna try it anyway, i think there is just like a hair too little moving room perhaps and thats why it wont open. . . i tried pulling and pushing that damned bar and nothing . . . i dont know but maybe if i remove the latch mechanism i can pull harder on it. we'll see

feel free to -HELP ME! lol thanks guys sorry for the long post

 

some times you can use a thin flat screwdriver from the inside of bed and stick it thru edge of gate to release lock on both sides to open gate

 

ok so i ended up finding out that what wouldnt come open was the latch on the actual gate . . . you know, the bear claw thing.

anyway, long story short, i ended up unbolting it and hacksawing it off with it still closed lol it was -that- far apart from being flush but still not opening completely.

get this, i put everything back together minus one latch(the right side/passengers side) and now it doesnt stay shut. i can see the claw closing over the rod but it wont stay there.

im hoping that when i replace the other locking mechanism today it will work fine. otherwise im goin to a gatornet lol

any ideas?

 

unfortunately, it seems to me that its been more work fixing this thing than it were to be if you just replaced it completely. junkyards are full of tailgates (at least in pa they are) just grab yourself a replacement that isnt bent and/or broken and save yourself some grief

 

well i replaced the piece that had gone bad. . . turns out it hadnt gone bad at all, the rod has just slipped out of place and it wouldnt open. so after smashing it to bits with a screwdriver and a hammer and finally an iron chisel, we managed to unscrew it while still closed and got the danged thing off. as soon as i had it in my hands, i pressed the lever that unlocks it and it works beautifully lol

even after taking a beating. so, now that i know exactly how a tailgate lock mechanism works . . . lol


i went to the yard and picked one off of an old bronco and it works fine now. as soon as i got home i put it in in about 2 minutes and the tailgate closes and opens perfectly. except for the left side lol which doesnt close all the way. lol funny thing is, the left locking mechanism is broken too and i just didnt notice it till i got back lol so next week i will go pick another one. not cause i really have to right now cause the gate closes just fine without it locking all the way but because DAMN I LOVE GOING TO THE JUNKYARD!!! lol

ok im done

 

My tailgate refused to open last week. Pulled off the coverplate (takes 2 seconds), sprayed the mechanism down with WD-40, and it works like new.