Locked out

I've tried both. It seems the outer and inner door handles work independently of each other, and the inner lock-knob and outer key-trip for the lock are attached to the locking arm at different points. A long screwdriver will not move the locking arm fully out of lock position, only partially. It's like a spring or something in the mechanism has come loose and is jamming up the lock arm inside the latch unit. I have the original latching unit that was replaced in 2002 for a similar problem but at that time everything worked except the outer door handle portion. The kicker is that with the door locked closed I can't remove the interior paneling to see better, or even remove/replace the darn unit as a whole ! More ideas are needed ! Thanks for yours.

I've been adjusting the doors on my 82 and have made many adjustments to get all the lock releases to work properly. They can be a bear to work on even when the window mechanism is out. The various rods in my door all lead to a lock panel mechanism. You need to get something down the window well (we used what looked like a long curved ice pick) and move the trip rod (down?) to make it open. Pulling any of the connecting rods enough might do it.

David

David is correct. a good auto locksmith should be able to trigger the latch mechanism and open the door. I would NOT recommend poking around in the door cavity without complete knowledge of the inner workings. more damage can accidentally be done...

my2¢

repo men don't have complete knowledge of the inner workings in the door cavity. they just slam a slim-jim till the door unlocks. they are not much worried about doing damage....

my2¢

Thanks to all for the ideas. I have decided to take the car to my Vette guy who can either fix it or call in a locksmith. He is the guy I bought the car from in '77 who was a Chevy mechanic that left the dealership to open his own shop. Vettes are his specialty. Here's hoping it all works out !

g'luck