Thanks folks.

Firstly, there is no longer a "pull up/down rod button" or any kind of handle on the inside of the tailgate. Must have gone the same way as the rear wiper assembly at some point in the car's past.

Secondly, I didn't do the "welding rod through the screw hole" trick because I don't weld and don't have rods.

So: I crawled in the back of the car and with lights, mirrors, screwdrivers, and fingers, I managed to pull or push the right combination of levers to disengage the hasp part below, which allowed raising the door.

So now the door is up and I can more easily (sort of, it's a hellish cramped spot inside the hatch to access the assembly and try to even figure out how it works.

Now that it's out, I flipped with my fingers the lock mode on the hasp, and now for the life of me I can't unlock it. There's probably something amiss with the assembly, and I'm thinking of taking it out of the door (at least the service manual is of SOME help in removing it) and testing it out on a bench.

Anyway, the car will slumber in the garage all winter, but I have a bit more hauling to do with it this Fall, so will try to get the assembly figured out and working again...

If anyone has a photo of an assembly out of the car so I can compare the layout to mine, that would be great. As you probably know, you can only readily see the passenger side of the assembly, so what's going on on the driver side is a bit of mystery.

Cheers.

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1983 300TD 240K - 1982 240D 215K - 1996 Dodge Cummins 70K