Mystery Machine

I went a little nuts this weekend with vette projects...

1. Install new carburetor (Crate Demon 650)
2. Install new outside door handles
3. Install new inside door panels and trim

#1 went well (although it ended up costing me $40 extra for a new dual feed fuel line). #3 went well, prett straight forward. #2 was the buggar! THis job stinks big time! I'll make the long story short and just say that I got everything back together with the new handles and the door opens and closes perfectly, the only problem now is that my locks don't work! I think that I must have turned that rod that goes through the handle the wrong way and screwed it up but I don't think I am ready to disassemble the handle again to check it out.

Does anyone have any idea if this rod has anything to do with the locks? :confused:

Thanks!


[Modified by Mystery Machine, 7:19 AM 2/17/2003]

Alwyn678

Boy do I know the feeling....I have a stuck driver's door that I can't open it is broken at the Lock (were stryker meets the door) so I have to rip the panel apart to get to it :cry

79MakoL82

Well. there's two rods from the interior lock button to the actual lock. One goes from the **** to a pivot point, then the other goes from the pivot point to the actual lock. The end at the lock is supposed to have a clip on the end to keep it from coming loose from the locking lever. Does the button move at all? If it does, can you hear the locking mechanism move? If the button moves and you don't hear the locking mechanism, my bet is the rods come loose. If it does not move or you hear the mechanism, it could either be a bound/bent rod or it may be the mechaism itself. When my lock got stuck (in the locked position :eek: ) the clip had broken and the rod had come loose. You can buy the clips in the HELP! section of your local auto parts store. I also srayed my mechanism liberally with WD40 while I had the door apart.


[Modified by 79MakoL82, 9:12 AM 2/17/2003]

Mystery Machine

Thanks guys. I'll check out the clip on the end of the rod that goes to the loak. I got angry during the door handle install and ripped the rain guard out and did not reinstall it...would this have any effect? I can't imagine it would. Removing the rain guard was the ticket for being able to get my hands in there to get to the back nut on the handle!

Gotta Fix my '76

Just recently did the same to mine..Replace Door handle and interior panels.

The rain guard is important.... It will help in keeping the water from splasing/dripping onto the inside of your new door panels. If yours was anything like mine, I'm sure you struggles with the interior door nuts that had to go on them...Whew, that was a struggle. After replacing my door handles my door (including locks worked fine) but when I replaced the interior panels my locks felt as though they were binding on something and very, very hard to turn and lock. So, I took door panels back off (GRRR) and uncovered the rods that worked the lock switches and the locks worked fine...so I remade the rain guards and re-did them so that they didn't bind with any of the mechanics....Re-installed door panels and "Walla" they work Great!! So that's just my $.02

Good Luck :cheers: