Trunk Pull Down Mechanism

[Jeff Wilk]

Anybody out there have a COMPLETE WORKING Trunk Pull Down unit for a '76 Deville?  It is for the Mirage Sports Wagon I just got and I need Everything from inside the trunk......latch on lid, motor, mechanism, etc......I have the button in the glove box and the wiring that runs back to the "trunk"......somebody removed the entire mechanism it appears since they actually cut through the hatch presumably to open a locked trunk with a frozen unit and now I need the full set up for the trunk.  Thanks.

Jeff

[Doyle]

Jeff have you tried the web site www.car-part.com?  I've had great luck with it.  I use it almost daily.  You will be able to search salvage yards on a national level.  You can search by price distance and grade.   I entered 1976 Cadillac DeVille and then clicked electrical and then trunk pull down motor came up.  A search showed one in Hampton VA.  I also searched under body and checked trunk lid and numerous hits came up across the United States.  You may be able to call the individual salvage yards to see if they have the pull down part still with the car.
Good luck
Doyle

[Jeff Wilk]

Doyle, thanks for this lead.  I was not aware of this site and for the mid '70's and later cars I'd think it can be a very valuable resource......I will try them out.

Jeff

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Jeff,
Maybe I'm missing the point.  How would a pull down work?? My guess is they eliminated all of that when they modified the vehicle. I suggest you compare your car with other Mirages.
Bob

[Jeff Wilk]

Bob, been there and done that already.  Kind of not what you'd think though as ordering the auto trunk pull down option was one of a handful of MANDATORY options that had to be ordered when opting for the Mirage.  Here is the catch (no pun intended).....the mechanism was not needed to pull DOWN the rear deck hatch on the floor of the Mirage's bed, but rather it was needed to LIFT OPEN the hatch which was custom made to sit completely flat with no exterior handle or lock.  So you had to order the auto trunk option as the only way to open the "trunk" (now a hatch on the rear deck floor) was to push the button in the glove box and let the hatch raise up with the motorized mechanism.........amazing aint it........

Problem on this Mirage is that at some point in its life, somebody got locked out of the hatch, or it stopped working, and they actually cut through the hatch and then removed ALL of the parts in the "trunk".  Sooooooo......after doing all of the research I know that these are the parts needed to put this back together.......and the good news is that Doyle also put me onto a complete mechanism on ebay that I just bought about 15 minutes ago.

I've been in touch with several Mirage owners already, including "Cadillac Sal" who helped me out a great deal along with the Facebook site for Mirage owners......still looking to connect with other owners of true 1975 or 1976 Mirages.....you know who you are.....and I did reach out to some of you already.......

Jeff

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Jeff,
Now I understand. You showed a nice pic of the tail gate. If you'd have shown a nice pic of the hatch it would be easier to visualize. Good luck in your search.
Bob

[Jeff Wilk]

Ask and ye shall receive.....here is a picture of the hatch in my brown Mirage.  You can see how it has a warped/bent look to it from previous owners at some point having tried to pry it open and then they ultimately cut a 6x6 inch hole in it to open it up.  The silver one in the picture shows how nice and even and flat it should sit. And then there is a cream colored one to show the "trunk" open.  Look at that massive reinforcement frame that was used.....it is in mine also and it was done to make sure the "lid" could support weight of the cargo in the rear without denting.

Jeff

[gary griffin]

Sorry I missed that when I looked at the truck Jeff.  Good luck fixing it!

[Jeff Wilk]

Gary, please.....no problem at all!   I did not notice it at first until my son asked how do you lock the "trunk"?  Once we started looking for a key hole, and then for any mechanism, did we notice a cut out from the underside of the lid.  Then we noticed that on the outside top side that warped looking part was actually a new thin steel plate (2'x3') that was riveted to the original.  At that moment it all came together.........there is no mechanism because it must have broke at some point so somebody cut through the deck to release it, and then riveted a new plate over the top.  Detective work sometimes for sure.

Then I was fortunate enough for Sal to send me copies of some original materials, one of which mentioned that it was MANDATORY for a buyer to order the trunk mechanism if they were going to have the Mirage built (or the Coachworks firm would install it as a dealer installed option). 

So again, please, no apologies.....it's just another piece of the project and I already bought the parts, and I happen to know someone who is a steelworker and welder that should be able to fabricate a new and correct "trunk" lid for me using the original frame.

Jeff

[DeVille68]

interesting! Thanks for sharing.