Neil B

Hey guys, I am fitting up new Corvette America door panels on my '69. With the new panel installed, the door will not open using the either the inside or outside door handles. I can get it back open if I use both the inside and outside handles at the same time. Any thoughts on what I need to adjust? The door operates fine with the panel removed.

Alan 71

Hi Neil,
Is it possible that the new door trim panel is pressing against the rods with so much force that they can't move freely?
Regards,
Alan

Neil B

The repro door panel is definitely pressing against the lock rods pretty firmly. Would this affect the door latch even if the door is in the unlocked position?

SteveG75

It would affect the inside handle but should not affect the outside handle at all.

Alan 71

Hi,
Now that I think about it I'm unsure if the 2 rods operate the latch or the lock?
???
Regards,
Alan

doorgunner

Notching the panel where it presses against the rod would help, but that would be a last resort.

How about gluing several "risers" to the metal of the door next to the rods. The risers could be about 1/8" "higher" than the rod to keep the panels from pressing on the rods.

Neil B

That's a good thought. The downside is that these repro panels already leave a big gap visible in the door jamb, so I think this would widen that gap a bit. I'm still curious how putting the door lock rods in a bind would cause the door handles not to work properly. The door is unlocked.

SteveG75

Those two rods are for the lock. The latch rod is inside the door skin. You can just see it in the photo.

Neil B

So after reasoning that pressure on the lock rods would not cause the door latch to bind, my thinking was that the new door panel was putting enough pressure on the inner lip of the door jamb to cause the bind. So, I adjusted the door striker bolt outward about 1/16" and this solved the issue. The movement of the striker bolt was not enough to impact the outer door gap to rear quarter alignment. The CA panel sits a bit further away from the inner door structure (leaving a gap between the door and the door panel) which causes the inner door jamb interference. Some people cure this with heavy duty Velcro, magnets, or screws through the panel, but I'm not ready to do that yet. Sometimes the fixes are simple! : )

Alan 71

Hi Neil,
Simple is good!
Regards,
Alan