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Re: 1978 jeep cherokee
Many many moons ago, my dad had a 77 Wagoneer (same tailgate as yours.) and we had to slam it shut since the truck was new. I think ALL these gates required some heft to close them.
As I recall, the latches were somewhat adjustable, similar to regular car doors. It could be the pin on one side needs repositioning.
Otherwise, try soaking the entire mechanism in WD-40. If thats no help, you may need to take the door apart to see what latch parts are binding/sticky. I have done great home-made repairs in the past simply by disassembling and studying the mechanism to see how it works and what is wrong. Sometimes there are tiny springs that can fall off / break which can cause this problem.
In the past, I have been able to McGuyver a new part to fit from hardware store stuff etc. I once pirated a governor spring off an old lawnmower to fix the door latch on my 1967 Lincoln.
I do not know of any replacement parts, but they may be out there on the internet. Try searching under the term "Full Size Jeep" (FSJ).
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