stuck tailgate on my 77 ..

[1966bmx]

hey everyone ,
i gotta think i am not the first this has happened to . my tailgate is stuck closed on my 77 cheyenne . the handle has no tension in it it just kinda flops up and down . so it is not operating the rods anymore obviously . seeing that there is no access panel on these tailgates . i do not know how to go about getting it open and fixing the problem . has anyone else here heard of this or had it happen to them ? how did you fix it / get it open ? i tried the search function but did not find anything . unless i am searching wrong . so sorry in advance if it has been posted before . thanks ,
donnie

[CaliDude76]

On my 84, if you look behind the tailgate where it latches, on the sides, there's just enough clearance to get a screw driver in there, and pry the latch in, do it for both sides and you should be good I'm pretty sure you should have the same on a 77

just like you do when you can slip a credit card in a latch for house doors.

[1966bmx]

yeah i cannot seem to get to it from the back side . it is so frustrating .

[juiceman650]

Have you tried removing the handle and messing with the rods? My 75 has no handle so I have to mess with the rods to get it open.
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[1966bmx]

how hard is it to pull the rods enough to get it open ?

[juiceman650]

Originally Posted by 1966bmx

how hard is it to pull the rods enough to get it open ?

It's not that hard if they're still attached to the latches. Just pull them one at a time towards the opposite side (pull the drivers side towards the passenger).
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[1966bmx]

i tried once to get the handle out . but that did not go so well . i will try again . thx for the replies everyone .

[Goldfinger]

get two srew drivers or pry bars slide them between the bolts on both sides of the tailgate it will unlock and should open i've had to do this on mine when the bed was over flexing. do this on the inside of the bed.