1983 K5 Blazer manual rear/tailgate window handle just spins? How do you take it apart!?

[DnS421]

So I have a 1983 K5 Blazer and as the title says the rear window handle just spins. The window is stuck in the down position and I have never been able to figure out how to take the components out, I have another tailgate and need to figure out how to swap all of the pieces to the good tailgate. Please help!

 

[RecklessWOT]

So I have a 1983 K5 Blazer and as the title says the rear window handle just spins. The window is stuck in the down position and I have never been able to figure out how to take the components out, I have another tailgate and need to figure out how to swap all of the pieces to the good tailgate. Please help!

the truck has a manual window, and after you unlock it, the mechanism just turns but the window doesn't go down?

You need to open it up from the inside to take it apart. The carpeted panel on the inside of the tailgate is held in with some screws and then is kinda wedged in there if the gate is closed. But once all the fasteners are undone, it needs to come upwards to get over the inside window seal/gasket which is stapled to the inside of the trim panel, then it should just pull out towards you. It will bend a little nothing you can do about that, it's designed to be removed with the tailgate down but since the window won't roll down you'll have to force it out of there with the gate still closed. From there it should be easy to disassemble. Take off the inner metal panel held in with phillips head self tappers and the guts will be staring you right in the face. I've never had a truck with a manual window, my Suburban is (and my K5 was) power rear window, so I'm not sure if the regulator is similar at all, but be careful. While disassembling the rear gate on my 'Burb (that I bought with a smashed out rear window), the spring loaded regulator damn near took my finger off when I was dumb enough to loosen all the bolts and reach in there to remove it while it was still under tension, snapped back like a guillotine. My ring finger is still all funky shaped to this day and it was hard for my bride to get that ring on there when we got married lol.

 

[SDJunkMan]

Depending on your trim level, you may or may not have the plastic/carpet panel. The crank mechanism is prone to breaking, and from what I've read, the replacement ones are crap. You said the window is down, so that is good, you can open the gate to work on it. If I remember right I had to unbolt the glass and carefully slide it out a ways to get to the bolts that hold the crank mechanism on. Seems like it was pretty east to figure out after I got the access panel off and the glass out of the way.

 

[Memaloose]

Be very careful with the glass, I broke one once on a Blazer while working on the mechanism, they shatter into thousands of pieces.