Rear Gate

[vamustangman]

I have a 1991 balck explorer XLT bought it over the summer as a back up car to my mustang took me all summer to do the body work and get it painted. Well I go to the store last night and find someone broke my rear gate. The car was locked and it seams someone tried to open the rear gate and ended up breaking the handel, now it just spins. Any ideas on how I can get the thing open? Thax. :exp:

 

[410Fortune]

from the inside you have to kinda rip the interior panel off after you un-do all the screws since the gate is closed, it can be done without destroying the interior trim, jsut be careful.

the panel is held on with a bunch of phillips head screws, once its off you can lock unlock the gate from inside there and replace the broken part/parts.

 

[ryf]

umm, wait until its warm out, or do it somewhere heated after running the heater for a while, I had probs with mine, tried messing with it in the winter, cracked the plastic easy as pie, watch the part that goes around the window, thats what I broke off.

 

[vamustangman]

Great now I can fix that and the tail light Thanks for the help

 

[F14CRAZY]

3 Philips screws. 2 with the pull strap and one under the "escussion"/plastic piece that goes around the little black thingy that goes up and down with the lock. With the tail gate raised, push it towards the front of the vehicle and it should come off without breaking any of the tabs (though like a lot of old Explorer plastic, it's brittle).

Wait...are you able to open the tailgate?

 

[vamustangman]

I got the trim off and opened the gate manually it looks like there are two broken hook looking things the handel still just spins any ideas?