I just rebuilt the drivers door in my 72 last week. My problem was the glass would drop in the door from broken rollers. I haven't been into an 81 door but suspect it should be the same unless you have power locks?
When I work on the 68-77 doors to PM them, I remove the door panel, plastic sheet, inside rain/anti-thieft guard over the latch, then the latch. I wash the latch and then spray it clean with brake cleaner. I use the spray on white grease to lube it and check the action. I install it in the door and with it open, adjust the throw on the outside handle and lock. I had some wear on my ignition key that was causing the outside lock to bind, almost felt like it was going to break off. I went to a locksmith with the key and cylinder, he made a copy from the code that worker perfect.
The window repair consisted of removing the motor,tracks,glass, then blasting, etching and painting them. Lubing with white lubriplate and testing the sissor action in a bench vise using a battery starter for power. Worked great and now the LH door is done. I added a new weatherstrip to the door to replace the 39 year old dried out original. I did it over a couple of days and it works better then ever and I've owned it since 1978.
If the plastic shield is in place, then it may be tricky to get into the latch to release the lever. There are some pictures posted on the forums on the latch to show where to press on it to open the door. If you can't find any let me know and I'll see what I can find in my files.
