Tailgate improvements went backwards and forwards between Ford pickups and wagons on this decade. Ford hasn’t had a standard wagon on sale in the USA for a while, however the Falcon rose to prominence within the Nineteen Sixties. In 1960, the Falcon wagon grew to become the primary Ford with a single-piece tailgate with a retractable rear window, which might later be adopted industry-wide.
A yr later, the Blue Oval’s pickup tailgates had been marketed as “grain-tight,” and one-handed instant-lock functionality was launched. Metal chain locks had been phased out with Instantaneous-Motion latches, which additionally elevated the width of Ford’s tailgates by 13 inches, facilitating the loading of wider objects, whereas being simpler to lock.
In 1964, the F-Sequence launched husky tailgate assist straps common from metal. These folded into the tailgate, out of sight. Additionally marketed on the time was the one-handed tailgate.
In 1966, the Magic Doorgate that might open both down or to the facet grew to become normal on Ford and Fairlane wagons (non-obligatory on the Falcon). This design made it simpler for youths to leap out and in or to load longer objects. Three years later, the Magic Doorgate gained three-way performance for wagons – it might be opened as a door whether or not or not the rear window was up or down.