Steve83
Bronco Guru
Frank's passenger door was unopenable last week, so with the break in the weather today, he came by to get it fixed. Removing my FULL door panel while the door was still closed turned out to be quite a challenge 
, but that's another story...
What I found was that the rod in the outside pushbutton had somehow overextended, and jammed the mechanism behind the outside handle. That, in turn, had prevented the latch from fully resetting, so when he locked the doors, the lock mechanism bound up, preventing EITHER release from working. He had a similar symptom years ago, but it turned out to be a sticky latch, which was replaced. But the recurrence of an unopenable door made me take another look at the way the latch is built...
It took a while to figure out what each lever's full purpose was, but eventually I realized the lowest one (the auto unlock lever) could be used as a failsafe release by simply adding a lever that wouldn't affect anything else on the latch, OR require any welding or special tools, OR prevent the latch from working normally later.
So for anyone with stock door latches who HATES the fact that the lock prevents the inside handle from working, AND that the inside handle doesn't UNlock the door, it's an easy fix!!! ;D I'm calling this an "enhancement" because it's not really a "modification" since the door latch will continue to work exactly the way it was designed to; this just allows you to work it from a different location on the mechanism, producing enhanced operation.
Parts required:
- a small steel plate ~15-11ga roughly 1.5 x 3"
- a small tube/bushing ~1/4" ID, ~3/8" OD, slightly longer than the thickness of 2 plates (~3/16")
- a 1/4-20 x 1" bolt w/nut (either nylock, or with red threadlocker)
- heavy wire or rod suitable for extending or replacing the operating rod for the inside handle
Tools required:
- screwdrivers & wrenches for removing the door panel, door glass rear track, and door latch
- center punch, drill, & bits 1/4", 3/8"
- saw, snips, file, hammer for cutting & shaping the plate
- pliers for bending the wire/rod
Recommended:
- penetrating oil & anti-seize lube for all fasteners
- bench vise
- red threadlocker
- carb cleaner & flowable grease (Champion Chain Lube, Winzer PolyLube250, etc.) to clean & lube the latch
The photos & captions in the photo album may be easier to follow than this text, so refer to them while reading:
1. Prepare by soaking all the fasteners in penetrating oil for a few hours.
2. Remove the door panel, door glass rear track, & door latch. It may be necessary LATER to remove the inside handle to replace or extend the operating rod. I extended it in-place, which is why there are no pics of it; it's inside the door.
3. With the latch clamped in a bench vise so nothing is bent, center punch & drill (1/4") the pivot for the auto unlock lever out.
4. Drill (1/4" & 3/8") the plate approximately the same distance apart as the factory inside release lever. Set the auto unlock lever on the new lever with their 3/8" holes aligned, and cut a step into the new lever to match the stubby vertical arm on the auto unlock lever. The step should point to the center of the 3/8" hole and be ~90 degrees from the smaller hole.
5. Insert the tube through both levers so the bolt doesn't clamp them, and so they can move independently. Then bolt them to the latch. Don't threadlock them yet.
6. Temporarily reinstall the latch to check the angle of the new lever, and the length of the operating rod from the inside handle. Remove the latch (& rod if necessary) and make the adjustments. Temporarily reinstall to test all functions thoroughly, then remove the latch & wash it with carb cleaner. Threadlock the nut to the bolt and lube the latch.
7. Reinstall the latch using anti-seize on all the fasteners, and retest all functions thoroughly.
8. Reinstall the glass track & door panel.
If anyone ever decides to revert to factory operation, only the inside release operating rod needs to be moved back to the factory lever, and UN-extended. The new lever can stay on the latch - it won't interfere with anything or cause any abnormal operation.
If anything is unclear, let me know & I'll snap more pics when I do the other door.
, but that's another story...
What I found was that the rod in the outside pushbutton had somehow overextended, and jammed the mechanism behind the outside handle. That, in turn, had prevented the latch from fully resetting, so when he locked the doors, the lock mechanism bound up, preventing EITHER release from working. He had a similar symptom years ago, but it turned out to be a sticky latch, which was replaced. But the recurrence of an unopenable door made me take another look at the way the latch is built...
It took a while to figure out what each lever's full purpose was, but eventually I realized the lowest one (the auto unlock lever) could be used as a failsafe release by simply adding a lever that wouldn't affect anything else on the latch, OR require any welding or special tools, OR prevent the latch from working normally later.
So for anyone with stock door latches who HATES the fact that the lock prevents the inside handle from working, AND that the inside handle doesn't UNlock the door, it's an easy fix!!! ;D I'm calling this an "enhancement" because it's not really a "modification" since the door latch will continue to work exactly the way it was designed to; this just allows you to work it from a different location on the mechanism, producing enhanced operation.
Parts required:
- a small steel plate ~15-11ga roughly 1.5 x 3"
- a small tube/bushing ~1/4" ID, ~3/8" OD, slightly longer than the thickness of 2 plates (~3/16")
- a 1/4-20 x 1" bolt w/nut (either nylock, or with red threadlocker)
- heavy wire or rod suitable for extending or replacing the operating rod for the inside handle
Tools required:
- screwdrivers & wrenches for removing the door panel, door glass rear track, and door latch
- center punch, drill, & bits 1/4", 3/8"
- saw, snips, file, hammer for cutting & shaping the plate
- pliers for bending the wire/rod
Recommended:
- penetrating oil & anti-seize lube for all fasteners
- bench vise
- red threadlocker
- carb cleaner & flowable grease (Champion Chain Lube, Winzer PolyLube250, etc.) to clean & lube the latch
The photos & captions in the photo album may be easier to follow than this text, so refer to them while reading:
1. Prepare by soaking all the fasteners in penetrating oil for a few hours.
2. Remove the door panel, door glass rear track, & door latch. It may be necessary LATER to remove the inside handle to replace or extend the operating rod. I extended it in-place, which is why there are no pics of it; it's inside the door.
3. With the latch clamped in a bench vise so nothing is bent, center punch & drill (1/4") the pivot for the auto unlock lever out.
4. Drill (1/4" & 3/8") the plate approximately the same distance apart as the factory inside release lever. Set the auto unlock lever on the new lever with their 3/8" holes aligned, and cut a step into the new lever to match the stubby vertical arm on the auto unlock lever. The step should point to the center of the 3/8" hole and be ~90 degrees from the smaller hole.
5. Insert the tube through both levers so the bolt doesn't clamp them, and so they can move independently. Then bolt them to the latch. Don't threadlock them yet.
6. Temporarily reinstall the latch to check the angle of the new lever, and the length of the operating rod from the inside handle. Remove the latch (& rod if necessary) and make the adjustments. Temporarily reinstall to test all functions thoroughly, then remove the latch & wash it with carb cleaner. Threadlock the nut to the bolt and lube the latch.
7. Reinstall the latch using anti-seize on all the fasteners, and retest all functions thoroughly.
8. Reinstall the glass track & door panel.
If anyone ever decides to revert to factory operation, only the inside release operating rod needs to be moved back to the factory lever, and UN-extended. The new lever can stay on the latch - it won't interfere with anything or cause any abnormal operation.
If anything is unclear, let me know & I'll snap more pics when I do the other door.
