Hey all. Went to open the tailgate on my 97 k1500 last week and got a loud "snap" left rod and anchor to the handle fell out,(have the rod) BUT, now I can't get the damn thing open! I've spent hours screwing with it and for the life of me cannot get the tail gate to open on the truck. I tried everything, using a pry bar to try to reach the locking mechanism where it meets the body of the truck. Nothing. I'm frustrated, as I use this truck to pull a landscaping trailer and have been having to shovel everything I dump in it out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.