Last weekend, I finally got around to replacing the tailgate window motor on the '86 Country Squire. The FSM shows a very involved and convoluted method, involving removing the glass and the lift mechanism to replace the motor...screw THAT! I cut a hole in the base of the tailgate after removing the plastic tailgate inner cover, so that the three bolts holding the motor to the bracket could be easily accessed. These are mounted in such a way that there is NO way to get a tool of any kind back behind there, without the time-consuming FSM way, or by trying to access the area with normal tools. The result wasn't real pretty, but the window goes up and down, and that is what matters! The 3" x 5" hole I cut into the bottom of the tailgate is not at all visible with the gate closed. I am fabbing a patch to cover that hole, with a new-style aluminum license plate, cut down to go over the hole. Once it's riveted in place, it'll look fine. Plus, with the gate in the down position, there won't be a hole for things to fall through. Pics follow!
Nice job. License plates make great patch material for many things. I even used one to cover a hole a squirrel made in the overhang of the house after filling the hole with Moth Balls.
If you had looked closely at the skin, you would've found three dimples, and this goes for all four doors also; Ford wants the dimples drilled out big enough to fit a 5/16" socket through to undo the bolts holding the motor. I just about fainted from surprise when I took the door panel off the '97 Grand Marq and found three nice holes punched out in the door skin already! Not only that, the new bolts are Torx-headed. Anyway, that's how Ford does it. Now to convince them to use nuts and/or bolts to hold the regulators in....
On the '73 Full-size wagon,the three bolts securing the motor are accessible,and the motor can be pulled,but you have to loosen the gear housing and put Gorilla tape on sheet metal edges to get your hands and arms in there. The real problem with these are the disintegrating torque buttons (some use springs) and the different sizes of 9-tooth metal gears. You could get a new old stock gear set and have it fail immediately from age.
I'd swear mine had them. It was a '79 tailgate, but I can't see them changing the stamping dies in that manner. Then again, it was 12 years ago. I could be wrong.
