Change tailgate to side hinge

[Mopar_guy]

Has anyone heard or seen changing the tailgate to side hinges so it would open like a door instead of folding down? It would make accessing the cargo area a whole lot nicer without the tailgate in the way. There were wagons in the 70's that did this and I know I'll have to add some structure to the tailgate and the body to support the weight. I'm thinking about finding a junk back half of a Cherokee or Wagoneer to experiment with before I mess up my Cherokee.

[tgreese]

There were barn door Wagoneers. Look online for pictures.

The back foot or two of a barn door Wagoneer was moving around on IFSJA a few years ago. I suspect these were exclusively panel wagons, and originated in the early '60s, or from military applications in later years. Jeep offered some surprising variants of the Wagoneer early in its history (2-door, IFS, 2WD, panel, maybe others I've missed). The idea with the back portion was the same as what you want to do, except they'd graft the existing doors and surround to another wagon. Might be worthwhile to search for a donor - they are scarce but they exist.

I would point out - it's a big job, and you'd need body work chops, a place to work and store the vehicle while disabled, and some dedication.

[tgreese]

Look here, '62-73 J-Series catalog - https://oljeep.com/edge_parts_man.html

Group 23, plate 5.

[tgreese]

Ford LTD wagons had a tailgate that swung both out in one piece and down. Possible you could use the hinges and latches from one of these and modify a Wagoneer tailgat to work the same way. The seal on the Ford tailgate glass is different too, so you could leave the glass up and swing the tailgate out.

fordtailgate75LTD.png

Can't see it well here - notice that the top tailgate hinge sticks out from the body, so that the tailgate swings level.

[Stuka]

I would foresee a few issues, some that you already note.

1: The gate is extremely heavy. So the hinges, and the actual body would need to be beefy to hold that weight. The Wagoneer 1/4 panel area is not known for being strong. My Cherokee had a lot of side to side movement if I pushed on it.
2: Getting the gate to latch and be aligned properly over time would be tough. The Station Wagons of the era had this issue. The gate would sag and then be a pain to open a close. Its one of the reasons they went away from it.

I think the hinge would be the toughest part. As the thickness of the gate would require that the hinge stick out from the body a ways to get the swing geometry correct. A hinge that is right up against the body would cause the gate to hit the body as it was swung in and out.

It is possible, and I think it would be a cool project if you like engineering challenges. And it would certainly be one of a kind.

[tgreese]

Mmm. Heavy and long lever arm.

I'd think the hardest part would be keeping the tailgate opening square. With the door open, there is a tendency to rack (like a parallelogram) and go out of square. You might build extra structure all the way around the opening, and make the connection between the pillar and body more rigid, with stronger corners.

[Yeller]

Ford LTD wagons had a tailgate that swung both out in one piece and down. Possible you could use the hinges and latches from one of these and modify a Wagoneer tailgat to work the same way. The seal on the Ford tailgate glass is different too, so you could leave the glass up and swing the tailgate out.


fordtailgate75LTD.png


Can't see it well here - notice that the top tailgate hinge sticks out from the body, so that the tailgate swings level.

I grew up with one of those

nothing to add other than a childhood memory..... other than barn door cherokees are rare and cool

[will e]

Remove it entirely. Problem solved!

Just kidding. I like the fold down, yeah a bit of a pain to get to stuff but I have a slide on one side, I keep the stuff I use all of the time handy and if I need to 'go deep' I just climb on the tail gate. I love being able to sit on the tail gate and use it as a work surface or cooking area.

[Stuka]

Remove it entirely. Problem solved!

Just kidding. I like the fold down, yeah a bit of a pain to get to stuff but I have a slide on one side, I keep the stuff I use all of the time handy and if I need to 'go deep' I just climb on the tail gate. I love being able to sit on the tail gate and use it as a work surface or cooking area.

I love the gate for just sitting on when eating lunch on the trail or the like.

My JKU has a swing gate. And yes, it makes getting stuff in and out easier. But it also doesn't provide a work space, table, or sitting spot. Yes, you can add the little fold down tables, but not quite the same.

[Mopar_guy]

Mmm. Heavy and long lever arm.

I'd think the hardest part would be keeping the tailgate opening square. With the door open, there is a tendency to rack (like a parallelogram) and go out of square. You might build extra structure all the way around the opening, and make the connection between the pillar and body more rigid, with stronger corners.

I see the barn doors but as you said, they're super rare. I've never seen one with them in person so that's pretty much out. Besides I'm not keen on the look of them on a Jeep. I agree with you and that picture of the tailgate is helpful. I'm not afraid to add structure to it because I do realize that it'll definitely need it. Adding a frame all around the opening on the inside might work. Another idea is to lighten the tailgate if possible since it wouldn't have to support weight like it does now. It's definitively a challenge but I thrive on stuff like this. I have a 73 AMC Javelin that I swapped a '14 5.7 Hemi into and it looks like it's factory and believe me, it was a challenge to do it right.

I think finding some hinges and the back section of a Cherokee or Waggy is what I'll start looking for. There was a guy in PA who was parting one out because I asked about the bumpers but the ad is gone and I deleted the texts with the pictures and number.

[letank]

BarnDoorFSJ.jpg

[Mopar_guy]

Looking at that picture, it would be a whole lot easier to do a barn door swap but to find one.... I'll keep my eyes out for one, but I have my doubts. Thanks for the good picture.

[OldFarmTruck22]

I would like to see sombody engineer gas struts to fit the stock tailgates. Would be a big help on the weight.

[Jevman]

1975 Buick Estate Wagon with the Magic Tailgate, i was at a friends 4 months ago and he showed me this thing, opens both down and sideways, some pretty cool engineering on that one!