DeTomaso Mailing List: May 2000, Message #56

Hello All:
I need any help from your collective wisdoms & experiences. The passenger side door handle pull-out on my '71 (non-push button) has to be pushed back in manually each time you open the door in order for the door to re-close securely. Inspection shows that the return spring is intact. The problem is that the plastic "shell" into which you stick your index & middle finger in order to pull out the handle is "ripped" at the top and at the bottom (indicating why you're not supposed to pull on the handle) - which means that the proper positioning of the return spring has been lost - thus the handle does not return to the down & secure position. So, I ordered a new plastic door handle shell from Marino. 

Now comes the time to install the new piece. Upon removing the inside door panel , placing the window glass in the full-up position & removing the two 8mm screws which hold the door opening mechanism inside the door - I can pull the lock/handle mechanism out of the door. This is where the problem I'm facing becomes evident. The lock mechanism into which the key would fit has a rod on the back side which goes down into the door. Darned if I can figure out how this rod is secured to the back of the lock. So, at this point my questions are - - 
1) Am I correct in assuming that I have to completely detach the handle from the door in order to install the new shell - or am I missing something here?
2) If the rod has to come off - how do I get the rod off the back of the locking mechanism (the lock itself is secured in the shell by 3 screws).
3) Does the answer lie in these 3 screws? Can they be removed thus releasing the handle from the car?
4) Finally, the door pull handle pivots on a pin which is oriented vertically through a series of holes in the shell. This seems to be a simple friction fit. Do you have to "press" this pin out of the broken shell & then back into the new shell?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Jim O'Conner
North Augusta, SC