Auto open hatch

[00sport]

Ok this is the new project for the X. Not that I open my rear hatch all that much anyway but mostly becasue I think it would be really freakin cool to have it open by it's self. Heres what it's gonna take so far... a way to pop the latch, probably just use a cylinoid out of a shaved door handle kit. Something to actually lift the gate, I'm thinking I should be able to find a minvan with the auto lift on it at a junkyard and canibalize a lift from there. Or possiabley make something myself. The lift arms on my gate are stong enough that the gate only needs to open a foot and a half to lift it's self with the lifters that are on there. Ok so much for the easy stuff.... I need to figure out how to make a remote that will work all this. I have a friend that races RC cars and builds his own stuff, he'll be home from college in December so I think the two of us can drink enough beer to come up with something that will work. Has anyone else attempted this yet? If so please let me know. I think this covers everything let me know if you can think of anything I'm forgeting.

 

[section525]

You gotta have the glass "pop" too. That would be trick!

 

[00sport]

yeah I was thinking about that too. I'm kinda in a hold on the the whole deal untill my friend get into town to help me with the remote. He thinks we can set it up so I can use my panic button to pop everything. Which would be great becasue then I wouldn't have to have two remotes. If we can get it to work like that I guess it would be possiable to set it up kinda like the door unlock. press once for glass press twice for gate. That would be sweet. If we can't get the remote to work the way I want it to, I really don't want to have a second remote, I'm just going to put a switch in the front so I can pop it from inside. Not as cool as a remote but still a nice mod.

 

[Adam Foote]

i agree.. two remotes would suck

 

[00sport]

Yeah I was just discussing this with my friend that's gonna be helping with the remote part of this. His thought was that if it came down to it we could get a remote with more buttons. I've seen some from alarm systems that have 6 buttons. Probably wouldn't be to expensive to pick one of them up. I've started pricing the parts, I'm going to really look at it all tommorow if I have a chance and see exactly how I'm going to do everything. This is all basiclly ideas right now. I'm going to try and start on the thing and have it wired as a switch up in the front and then worry about the remote later.

 

[Texan01]

Just a suggestion, but some Fords have a trunk release button on the remote, so you could possibly get one of those and figure out how to make it work and still look factory.

 

[00sport]

I din't even think of that!!! That would be sweet, actually have the button show a trunk release. I bet I could even peel the sticker off and have one made that was an explorer with the hatch opening instead of a car!! hahah Definatly gonna look into that one.

 

[Hartman]

You might want to look into the kits they make for opening tailgates automatically. It consists of an arm that is moved by an actuator, and the arm is attached to the gate to move it up and down. With a few mods, the kit could probably be made to fit with the rear hatch. The rear hatch does not weigh that much more than a standard tailgate, plus the liftgate stocks help.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[00sport]

Nah no kits, wheres the fun in that? But what you've described in the kit is basiclly what my plans for this are looking for right now. I've pretty much scrapped the glass pop idea I'm just not sure it could take the pressure and don't really want to find out it can't the hard way.