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1967 Firebird Door lock stuck, door won't open

16K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  69bird 
#1 ·
Hi. I just picked up a 67 firebird. The car has been sitting for 20 years outside, pretty much untouched. The doors opened fine when I went to look at it, but when I got it home, I locked the doors. I went to unlock them, and the passenger side one opened fine, but the driver's side seems to be stuck shut. The door can't be opened from the outside or inside, but it seems to unlock when you turn the key or pull up on the unlock post on the inside. The door handle pushes in, but it doesn't unlatch. I tried searching this, but nothing really came up.
Thanks, Aaron.
Anchorage, AK





 
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#3 ·
welcome, good looking bird, get in the car and see if you can get your door panel off without hurting it, look for a long rod about 3/16 thick, there's like a small c-clip that holds it on the latch, should be able to pull the rod by hand to open the door, look really good in the inside of your door at the bottom for a real small c-clip, you need that. If I remember correctly, it's been awhile since I missed with mine, still have trouble tommorrow, post it, and I will go look (take pics) at the body I got on the hill.
 
#4 ·
I had this same problem with a 70 TA door. I ended up removing the inner door panel. I had to remove the seat and rear sail panel to get the door panel off without damaging it. I then drilled out the rivets that hold the door latch together from inside the door. The latch fell apart and the door opened. This was one of the biggest PIA things I have had to do to this car. It seems as if that latch release was binding. I didn't see an easier way to open the door even after examining the old latch. Good luck.
 
#5 · (Edited)
alright man, got cha some pics, your lock is probably froze up, may need to spray heavily with w-d 40, or pb balster. The way this thing works, your key lock has a bracket with a hole that a straight rod sticks in, the door lock at the top that you push down and up, is actually a rod that goes down makes a right turn outside of door under the door panel,then goes back in and is held on by a clip, your door handle, when mashed to open the door, it sticks out a steel rod and pushes a flat plate inside the door to open the latch, the door handle on the inside has a rod that goes to the lock mechanism and is held on by a clip. since it won't open with the handles, the lock mechanism itself is more than likely froze up. What you have to do, is first get the panel off, roll the window up, get a flashight and look at the top of the door latch mechanism, there is a round rod sticking towards the door, where your key lock goes, (see the pics), pull down on that rod, the door should open, if not, go directly across to the other side, there is a lever with a rod stuck in it, that is your door lock, push it up, then with it up, try to open the door, it should open, if it does, spray the crap out of that lock, it's probably just rusted up, when you turn the key, it pushes that rod down, when you pull up on the door handle inside, that rod works the mechanism, and the shaft to the key lock goes down, same as when you lock the doors, that shaft goes up. Sorry so long, but just trying to make it make sense. Good luck I know these pics are dirty and spider webby, but hey, shes been sitting since 1990. lol

See the shaft sticking out towards the key lock, you want to pull it down. Right now it is stuck up. spray this with wd-40 or something



This rod goes to the manual door lock on top of the panel. You may have to push this lever up, as it may be stuck, actually got your door locked. Try it up, if not pull down, one or the other will unlock your door. Spray the hell out of this and work it a few times. make sure your rod is still in that hole, sometimes they get bent and fall out, this is where your problem more than likely is. It's just old age, rusty probably



This rod is directly under the rod that works door locks, it goes to the door handle inside the car.

 
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