Door Lock Mechanism HELP!!!

[vetteengnr]

Boy have I done it this time. While trying to find out why my drivers side door would not unlock, the lock that latches onto the knob on the actual car frame has fallen and locked into a closed position that will not allow me to close the door! Does anyone know how to access the lock mechanism inside the door. I loosened the three screws that attach the mechanism to the door, but they seem attached by other pieces and I don't want to dissasemble the entire unit. I have not received my assembly shop manual so I don't know how the entire system works together. This is a cry for help, I can't close my door and don't want anything to happen to my baby.

 

[silver 80]

door lock

First does your door handle work? if it does try this put your finger through the locking partand pull while someone else operates the door handle.
if it doesn't work your going to have to take the door pannel off of the door. Be extra carefull of the door handle as it is made of pot metal and will breakvery easy, there is a philips screw that holds your handle on you are going to have to remove it, and then SLIDE the door handle off. then you have allot of screws to remove. once you have all of the screws out and the dorr handle off(hopefully with out breaking it) you will have to one hand on top of the door pannel and one at the bottom. the hand at the bottom you will want to tilt ti out a little and the push the door pannel up so it coems loose from the top of the door where the galss is. once that is off you have access to the guts of the door. check to see if the plastic pice that holds the rod into the lock mech. is broken or just came off. you might be abl to use a pair of pliers to open the lock mech.
hope this helps. I think I got it all.
tom