66 Vert Driver Inside Door Release

[Rich G.]

It's always been tough to open the door from inside. Outside works perfectly. Decided to tackle it today and everything is loose/worn. Even pulling on the rod directly without using the linkage does not release the mechanism.

So, what's the best way to proceed? My left shoulder is getting sore from forcing the door open :-). Actually that doesn't work every time anymore. I just reach outside.

Thanks

Rich

Ps. I clicked on the wrong bubble. Should be 66 not 65. Can't figure out how ti change it.

[Russ S.]

Re: 66 Vert Driver Inside Door Release

Take the door latch inside of the door out and soak it in carb cleaner or clean very well in some other fashion, re-lube with spray white grease and reassemble. My 66 inside door releases work very easy after doing this. This also applies to window mechanisms.

[John L.]

Re: 66 Vert Driver Inside Door Release

Rich
I think this is a common problem of a worn door latch. The latch works fine when the outside handle is used. Remove the latch and inspect it and check the function. Your problem is an small worn lever inside the latch and you may be able to repair it or replace the latch.

[Steven B.]

Re: 66 Vert Driver Inside Door Release

Another condition to consider is that over time, the threaded rod (that the ball goes on) that goes through the door panel, has a tendency to bend at the base (on the door opening mechanism, which is a simple bell-crank). This causes the rod to come in contact with the bezel in the door panel before the mechanism has had an opportunity to move far enough to pull the release rod that extends to the latch mechanism. You may be able to bend it back to its original position, but chances are that it will eventually fatigue and bend again causing the same problem. If you have access to a welder, you can beef up the threaded rod at its base. If not you can purchase a new one for about $20. This may or may not be the problem. It was on my vehicle on the drivers door which gets the most use. It also opened easily from the outside.
Good luck,
Steve

[Mike M.]

Re: 66 Vert Driver Inside Door Release

the "worn little lever" is almost always the problem. on any c-2 i've restored, whether the inside handle works perfectly or not, i mig weld a small bead on the little lever so that its contract point and it have near zero clearance. you will love the end product. mike

[Rich G.]

Re: 66 Vert Driver Inside Door Release

Thanks guys

Based on what I've seen so far it looks like Mike's fix is what I need.

Rich