I started the tear down on my Colony Park restoration/hot roderization over the weekend. I was pugging along smooth, Motor/Tranny out, majority of interior out, all trim, and taillights out etc... Until I got the the rear of the car! I do not have the circle key for the car, the glass is up and I cannot open the tailgate! Seeing that I cannot open the tailgate, I am having a hard time figuring out how to remove the back panel (if possible without it being down) to remove the window motor to be able to get the window down to drop the tailgate. Does anyone have any tricks or advice on how to go about this without cutting a hole in the interior tailgate panel? Thank you!
Until someone comes to your rescue I remember several discussions here about that problem. Click on the SEARCH at the top and type in different key words hoping you come up with those threads.
Did your tailgate work prior to taking everything apart? If a '65 is similar to a 68, there should be a constant hot 12v wire that would lead from a circuit breaker on the starter relay, to a safety relay, then through the interior all the way to the gate. The wires from the under dash switch are signal voltage that tell the switch in the gate what to do with the motor. If possible, try reconnecting power to the under dash switch. If your safety relay, which is located on the driver side firewall, is bad; it can be jumped and bypassed since its function is to prevent window operation without a key in the ignition. Now if your motor or limit switch (inside the gate) are bad, then the panel has to come off. Now, there are metal trim pieces around the gate that need to be removed. These pieces block the path that the panel has to travel upward to dislodge. On a '68, there are two plugs (one on each side). With these plugs removed, insert a good quality hooked tool and lift upward to dislodge panel. I am not sure but I think '65 may have been an odd year where the plugs were not visible. There is also an emergency procedure where I believe the outside rubber/ trim around the bottom of the window is removed and the glass is disconnected from the rollers. I would carefully research that method and use it as a last resort.
Thanks Wayne! I have tried hooking power back up to the motor (and switch) with no luck. I am going to look into finding the plugs. Are they rubber plugs? What specifically am I looking for? I do not want to put my hook tool on the interior panel and bend/break it. Thanks.
Hi, If you go to this website, you can find a copy of the '65 Ford/ Mercury Shop manual. On the page I am attaching, the instructions for a 1965 tailgate is included. This page is in the Group 17 section under "Body and Windows". There are apparent procedural differences with my 1968. Hope this helps: http://oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/Ford/1965/FordMercuryShopManual/index.html
Thank you for the help. I am still having a hard time figuring where to "pull" on the panel to remove it. Here is a picture, any pointers?
I guess the first step is to make sure all of the retaining screws are out. On my '68, unlike for '65, the instructions did not mention lifting the gate handle. I figure that there are no holes to stick in a hooked tool since Ford fixed that issue by '66. So, stick a good wide screwdriver and try to carefully wedge the panel upward. You could put a rag between the panel and the screwdriver to avoid scraping. Maybe actuating the gate handle is essential? I never tried it on mine since I did not want to create issues with having an ajar gate but stuck glass. Hopefully someone else can chime in with their input. Best Wishes on getting that wagon fixed up. I'm sure it'll be a hit in Frisco.
Thanks! Does anyone know if there are retaining screws a the bottom of the panel? I would hope not because they are not accessible unless the tailgate is down.
This may sound a strange idea, but there will be a plug connector, probably in the left quarter somewhere, for the rear wiring harness. You could unplug it, and put 12 volts to the wires for the tailgate window motor and bring it down that way.
DONE!! This took my 3.5 times longer to remove then pulling the motor and the transmission... Anyway, I now know how to do it! Now, just need to get the window motor out.
Congrats! Now you are in the same pickle that I'm in. Simply unbolting the motor will not remove it. The regulator may need to come forward. Also, I am unsure whether the tailgate glass will come crashing down once the motor is taken off. You may need to devise a method to prop up the glass while removing the motor. Also, have you checked the limit switch to see if that is the problem? If that switch thinks the tailgate is ajar, it will cut power to the motor. It may be worth checking out. Wayne
