As has happened to so many of our pro cars, the lock mechanism gets dirty and will not allow the door to open with the outside handle. When that happens, we are stuck trying to find a way to get into the inner mechanism of the door to open it.
Having gone through this problem with my 1962 Chevrolet C/B ambulance, I decided that it was time to do some investigating. C/B installed only an outside handle, and a key lock in typical GM fashion. I viewed the video by Ed Renstrom as to how the lock mechanism works (see below).
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjK-mNV-fhY[/ame]
I identified the lever that needed to use to make the inside lock release the way that all the rest of the doors locked and unlocked. It is the lever that is pointing up at the 10 o'clock position on the lock mechanism.
Once identified, I made up a rod using one from another 1962 Chevrolet, by first straightening out the bend, and then continuing the threaded portion down about 2". I then cut off the top 2" of the rod. Next, using the rod, I figured out where I wanted the lock rod to come through the top of the door and drilled a hole for in the steel door panel.
Once I had the hole through the steel panel, I had to reinstall the door trim panel, and get a hole through it. Luckily, the top of the door panel allowed me to work inside the door, so drilling a hole through the wood frame of the door panel was an easy task. In this next photo, you can see that I have used a GM door lock trim grommet in the newly created hole.
In this picture the lock rod and the knob have been installed.
This is what it looks like from the outside of the door. It looks just like it has been there since the day that the car was built.
What I don't understand, is why C/B went to the trouble to do the lay out for the inside door handle, but never completed the installation. The
inside remote handle mechanism goes in the large hole and is attached using with bolts using the 3 smaller holes. I haven't decided yet, if I am going to add the inside handle or not, however, if the key lock should ever stop working again, like it did last summer, all I have to do is climb into the rear, and lift up the lock knob.
Having gone through this problem with my 1962 Chevrolet C/B ambulance, I decided that it was time to do some investigating. C/B installed only an outside handle, and a key lock in typical GM fashion. I viewed the video by Ed Renstrom as to how the lock mechanism works (see below).
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjK-mNV-fhY[/ame]
I identified the lever that needed to use to make the inside lock release the way that all the rest of the doors locked and unlocked. It is the lever that is pointing up at the 10 o'clock position on the lock mechanism.
Once identified, I made up a rod using one from another 1962 Chevrolet, by first straightening out the bend, and then continuing the threaded portion down about 2". I then cut off the top 2" of the rod. Next, using the rod, I figured out where I wanted the lock rod to come through the top of the door and drilled a hole for in the steel door panel.
Once I had the hole through the steel panel, I had to reinstall the door trim panel, and get a hole through it. Luckily, the top of the door panel allowed me to work inside the door, so drilling a hole through the wood frame of the door panel was an easy task. In this next photo, you can see that I have used a GM door lock trim grommet in the newly created hole.
In this picture the lock rod and the knob have been installed.
This is what it looks like from the outside of the door. It looks just like it has been there since the day that the car was built.
What I don't understand, is why C/B went to the trouble to do the lay out for the inside door handle, but never completed the installation. The
inside remote handle mechanism goes in the large hole and is attached using with bolts using the 3 smaller holes. I haven't decided yet, if I am going to add the inside handle or not, however, if the key lock should ever stop working again, like it did last summer, all I have to do is climb into the rear, and lift up the lock knob.
