Sams '66 said:
Getting much worse lately.........It sot of flops around and you really have to pull ALL the way back to get the door to open.......
How difficult is the repair.......I have never taken off my door panels to have a look inside.......What is the likely problem??
thanks..
If it's like the ones I've had experience with, the problem is wear due to usage and age. If it still opens OK with the outside button, but the inside latch is as you describe, there may be a fix for the old mechanism, but it'll require removal of the door panel and door latch mechanism.
The pushbutton for the outside release contacts the release arm at a flat point, therefore, not much wear at this point over the years. However, the inside release operates the same mechanism with two pieces of metal contacting edge-to-edge (as I best remember), and as a result the contact point is much smaller and more prone to wear over the many years these cars have been in operation (doubt the General ever expected them to have the following they have today).
I removed my latch mechanism, located the point where the front release contacts the mechanism, and built the wear point up with a welder several years ago. So far it's worked great, no further problems. And as best as I remember, that was before wire-feed welders were widely available, which would make the job much simpler. Once the door panel and latch mechanism is removed, the wear point I described is much easier to locate.
That's my experience, hope it's of some help to you & any other Forum readers who may be having the same problem. Of course, a new latching mechanism and release lever would provide the same cure, but I'm not sure how available they may be and at what cost. Best of Luck . . . .
(PS My experience is that usually the problem is with the driver's side, almost certainly due to higher usage it receives over the years. Apparently not so in your case.)
