77 tailgate latch trouble

[1966bmx]

hey guys ,
i have a slight problem with the tailgate on my 77 cheyenne . the latch on the tailgate is messed up . the tailgate is shut . and i cannot open it . it seems maybe the rods inside have come undone from the latch . does anyone have any ideas on how to get this fixed . i cannot see how to open the tailgate open . any help would be greatly appreciated . thx in advance ,
donnie

[texasredneck]

you should probably try to open the tailgate from the sides, trying to push in the "lips" that shut the tailgate...

or try to remove the latch, on the backside of the tailgate are the screws to get the latch off of the tailgate.