My tailgate torsion baqr broke last week,smashing my rear window.The window was replaced,but I thought I could get by without the bar.I was wrong. The tailgate is extremely heavy without this bar working.Has anyone done this without any problems? Or is this a job for the dealership?

 

It can be done. The bar is bolted to the bottom of the gate with two straps with one end "saddled" into a trough in the driver's side of the gate. The other end is held in by a steel "eye" in the passenger side of the jamb. Once the eye is removed and the straps on the bottom of the gate are loosened the bar will slide right out. You MUST keep the gate closed as much as possible to remove the eye otherwise the bar is under too much tension. (of course with a broken bar thats a moot point until you get to the reassembly). If the glass has been replaced already, your best course of action is to open the gate and raised the glass at least part way so you can access the inside of the gate with the inspection cover off and the gate down. To get the glass to move with the gate open you will need to temporarily close the driver's side latch. Just remember to put the glass back down and pull the handle to release the latch BEFORE you try to close the gate again.

If you are certain the the bar broke and not the trough inside the gate, the previous procedure should work. If the bar did NOT actually break and the problem is a result of the metal trough rusting through or giving away then the repair is a bit more complicated as the trough is integral to the welded body of the tailgate and would require some fabrication to repair without replacing the entire tailgate body.

P.S. Its a heavy lil' bugger with all that steel and the huge chunk o' glass in there and no torsion bar to help with the lift isn't it?!

 

Thanks greystreak 92.As often as I use the tailgate,I will not jeopardize my back because by not fixing this.The rod is definitely broken and their is no rust whatsoever.I will give this a try.The gate would not have to come off in order to put this in. Right ?

 

Greystreak is excellent as usual. I'm throwing in my $.02. The tailgate does not need to come off. After re-assembly before you completely lower the tailgate the first time get a good light and remove the inner window wiper strip if you need to see better. Watch the bar where it bends on the driver's side to be sure the saddle holds it and it does not touch the glass as you slowly lower the gate. From what I could tell the saddle is a piece of the tailgate that is bent like your four fingers on your right had holding a ski pole. It holds the bar away from the glass. Touching is not good for the glass even with the protector sleeve over the bar but if the bar comes loose from the saddle and pops the glass that is $$$ really, really bad. My "saddle" rusted away so I used two 5/16" U-bolts to secure the bar to the edge of the inspection cover opening and the cover plate concealed them. BTW I bought the two torsion bar brackets that secure the bar to the bottom but did not need them. They are new with Ford stickers. I'll take $20 for the pair if someone needs them.

 

With a new torsion bar in place and all the brackets etc. how much force should I need to close my tailgate? Two hands, One Hand, a few fingers etc? I currently need 1.5hands to lift it so I am thinking my bar is getting weakened.

Simon

 

When my bar was touching the glass it took two hands and a BIG grunt to close the gate. Now it is one with a small grunt but, being a geezer card carrier, two hands is real easy and preferred.

 

i took my bar out when i replaced my tailgate. i dont remember the specifics but the gate was down when i took it out. i had no problems..i replaced my window with an exact match in lexan. it is now a lot lighter and i dont have to worry about it ever breaking either.

 

Mine got to the point of both hands and a back. The pivots were all crusty and after spraying them with a cleaner/lube (i.e. WD-40) it's now a one hand task. My back thanks me!

 

I can tell you that a brand new bar in the gate WITHOUT the glass installed will not hold itself open all the way. With the glass it will but usually only requires one hand to close provided you have taken care of the hinges and latch mechanisms. After Greystreak burned, the brand new bar and tailgate were still intact but the glass had blown out from the heat. Thats the only reason I know that.