Finally got my car (71 GS) back from the shop that put my restored dash together, but it is back in the shop. One of the problems I had before I put the car in storage last fall was with the exterior door handles. The rods on the back side of the push buttons slipped off the paddles and the doors wouldn't open. The handles are repops. I took the car out of storage and it went right to the shop. The shop said some clips were missing in the door latch assembly, and they put them in. I picked up the car and went for a 40 mi ride, and stopped for dinner. I went to try to lock the doors, and put the pass side button down. I would not pull up and the key would not turn in the cylinder. I eventually got the button up, and drove to the shop. The same thing happened to the driver's door at the shop, only I couldn't get the knob up. The shop worked on the dr side for over an hour, but could not free it up. The shop owner then told me to order new interior latch mechanisms! I went home and called OPGI and found they are on back order for 4-6 weeks! The weird thing is I had no problem with the buttons before the shop "fixed" the doors with the "missing clips". Can anyone offer suggestions or help? I just can't wait 4-6 weeks for replacements. UticaGeoff 71 GS 455 Triple Black
Im sure you can get some good used latches from someone on the board. Used originals would probably be better than the Chinese repros. Just make sure you get the 71 and up style. As far as the shop your using, Im sure they know what they're doing. Its not that complex of a setup. There are metal linkage clips that keep the rods together.
I had a problem like this with a 70 Stage 1 car years ago. I purchased a set of repro exterior door handles and buttons. The pins that stick out from the original buttons have a bend in them. The problem was the pins that stick out from my reproduction buttons did not have the bend in them, and ended up jambing against the interior door latch mechanisms. I ended up taking the interior door panels off, pretty much destroying them in the process, to get to the door mechanisms in order to open the doors. I learned a very hard lesson that day as my car had a standard interior and the door panels were not reproduced. It took me 3 years to find a replacement set. Good luck with your problem. Duane
Geoff, The problem with the repo door handles is the push buttom usually has a straight rod on it and if you look at an original one, it is bent at about a 30deg. angle to make good contact when pushed in. Try bending the rods to see how they work then. Mark Northcutt on the board has parted a lot of these cars and probably has a set of latch mechansims to help you with your locking problem.
Also some repop handles have a push buttom pin that is too long and won`t allow the latch to operate correctly.I just had this problem and removed my latches because I thought they were bad.remove the handles and see if they work correctly when you push the lever with your finger
I had a similar problem when putting new outside door handles on. Luckily it was during the time I had the interior out getting painted. After I worked myself silly I figured out the rods on the repro handles were too long by a small amount. If the actual latch is "pushed" in a small amount the locks don't work right. I loosened the bolts which held the handle, locks worked. So I looked and worked until I decided how much to shorten the pin/rod that sits in the button on the handle and works the latch, cut them, reinstalled everything, worked fine. Again, I was lucky I found the problem while all the stuff was still apart so it was a lot easier to fix. Good luck, Mike
Same problem here, ck ebay I was able to buy a set of new push buttons and then bent them to the same dimension of the orig. The buttons are pretty much the same for Chevy & Pontiac.
Use the original rod as a template and bend the new ones to shape...did this 10 times and never had a problem.....close inspection of repro parts before installation will save you a lot of time, aggravation and money.
If you have new interior I would consider cutting the handles off with a cut off wheel. It will not be easy but I would consider that route. If the paint is fresh tape around it real good and cut behind the thumb button and remove the button and rod after you get the door opened you can remove the rest of the door handle.
Thanks for everyone's help. I didn't build the car so I don't have any of the original door handle parts. I was considering asking if anyone had the door latches for sale. Also, I've been told that Chevelle's are the same as GS, and NPD has them in stock. I don't know enough to go ahead with the purchase from NPD. Anyone know if Chevelle and GS door latches are identical. UticaGeoff
Its probably the handle not the latch.Remove door handles and push the paddle with your finger if the doors open then you know the hamdle is the problem.If they are too long cut them off if they just need to be bent then bend them to hit the paddles.
No they are different. If they were the same the repro door handles would work without mods. I have a set of new Chevelle repros T&N sells rechromed handles complete with buttons
When you do get your problem solved, before you put everything back together make sure the latches are cleaned and sprayed liberally with lithium grease. Also put some on the stem of the door botton and on the latch where the rod contacts it. You wouldn't believe the difference this makes in how they work.
ONLY 68/69 style are same as Chevelle. They make a cheapy repo and a Beautiful GM approved one. No issues with those.
I had the same problem. I found that the rod screwed into the button and that after a few times being used it had rotated enough to miss the paddle it pushes in.
Thanks again to all who replied. I have the end of the story. I have been extremely busy at work the last two days (12 hr days) and have not had much time to deal with the problem. I left my shop a message yesterday which basically was that the stuff all you guys were saying - the problem is likely the rod behind the push buttons and the latches likely need cleaning/lubricating. Well, at about 4P today the shop calls to tell me the car is fixed - they glued the rods in the correct position and cleaned/lubed the latches. They also removed clips from the paddles (they put them in) which held the rods in place (and bound up the mechanism in my opinion). Bottom line is that for $50 everything is fixed. Now I have to wait for the rain to stop to bring the car home.
