flannel_man

So i have an issue. Some lowlife tried breaking in the '84, DS handle is floppy, and the door skin panel seperates from the car a good 1/2" go to the passenger side and the lock feels like it is no longer connected to the innards, but at least i won't have to have the door reskinned so now i can't open the doors to move the car off the driveway so the plumber can run lines today. Already had a tow company come and try it for a good 30 min, seems like nothing is connected inside the doors anymore, except the locked latch. Ideas that don't involve a brick?

PureJoy

Rear hatch???

https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...ear-hatch.html

RIC96

If you can't get the doors open, how are you going to get to the hatch release? When I'm parked in my driveway, I just leave the doors unlocked and trust that they won't be able to start the car before I'm alerted. Yeah, I may lose a radio but I won't have to deal with broken glass or f****d up doors which may be more difficult to replace.

Cruisinfanatic

How does this help getting in the car?

PureJoy

At least l tried to help............................

Unsubscribed!

84 4+3

If the drivers handle itself is broken but the lock is still attached, unlock the door with the key. Iirc you should be able to get a screwdriver under the handle to actuate the rod and you may be able to get it open that way.

Bad Karma

This sounds brutal. If the door skin is already screwed, it may be cheaper to cut/peal/break it back to get to the latch mechanism itself and replace the door?

flannel_man

At this point sounds like calling Safelite to come pull off the windshield and toss on a new one may be my only option to get inside, then I'm stuck with trying to open it up before they put a new one on tho

84 4+3

AAA should also be able to get you in

ls777z

If you can pull the door skin out a little get a flashlight and look down inside at the handle. You should be able to see the rods/levers that unlock/open the door. Then its just a matter of grabbing/pushing/pulling the right rod/lever. If the drivers side is totally fubared try the passenger side. Its not difficult once you see what does what.

flannel_man

Manual door locks
battery is also dead or I'd use a rod to lower windows

85WHITEZ51

Is the wire harness for the hatch accessible through the hole in the rear bumper for the license plate? If so, you could hut the harness, apply 12 volts and it would open. Then patch the harness back together. I just don't recall if that harness comes outside of the car anywhere or if it's all within the car.

The only other thing I can think of is an angled bar (think emergency hood opener) that would slide behind the door that you could trigger the hatch with. This is just 1 more reason why I got an alarm that activates the hatch and door locks via a remote.

85WHITEZ51

Battery can be accesses through the side sill. If you can't open the hood (emergency tool) then you can remove the bolts below the sill and the inner fender and you should be able to pivot it enough to get to the terminals to charge the battery.

Cruisinfanatic

I'd smash the side window long before that

flannel_man

Well the initial issue of moving it out of the plumbers way was a somewhat easy fix, jacked up the DS wheels, popped the 4+3 into neutral, lowered it, and rolled it back then raised it again and put it back into gear. Rinse repeat when they are done. Still can't get into the car tho. Will try the hatch wiring bypass when its not 29* out and raining

foolthrottle

Somebody took time out of their busy day to break my doors as well, after repairing mine I realized how easy it is to break the plastic and metal retainers, as well as how difficult they are to repair. My cars were under attack by someone that knew these cars well, the best trick they used was to put a small rock between the brake rotor and splash shield it created a sound like metal on metal grinding wheel bearing failure. Jealousy and envy are powerful things to some people.

WVZR-1

Wheel dollies would have made this likely a 30 minute task and the plumbers would have been in the corner tavern expecting 'lunch' after their work - it's been an interesting read.

95LT1ZF

I had to do the same thing when I locked my keys in the IROC. Slid the jack under the diff, jacked up the car and just pushed it out of the way. Pop-A-Lock should be able to use window wedges and get in the car with no problem.

RetroGuy

Flannelman:
One thing that could have prevented damage to your door would have been an alarm with proximity sensing, and/or a shaker sensor. If I had a soft top convertible, this would be a must for me:

https://www.viper.com/car/accessorie...urbance-sensor

Cruisinfanatic

Who breaks into 84 corvettes?