[DeTomaso] Door lock woes

[The DeTomaso Registry Guy]

Charlie,

I have dealt with this part myself.

Yes you force the socket over the ball.

I held the two parts with plyers, and aligned them 'straight',
then 'snap' them together.  I did it on the car, with the door panel off.

I didn't know a better way.

Would some heat help ?  maybe not as you don't want to disfigure the socket part.

Chuck




Hi all

Spent a few hours in the garage this afternoon trying to change the locks on
the Pantera. They were vandalized this summer during a trip, along with
several other cars. 

The process is clear enough but I have two issues:

1) On the driver's side, the plastic or nylon connector-thingie that has a
socket machined in for the little ball on the door lock mechanism has
broken. How's that for a technical description? If you've been inside your
door, then hopefully the description is sufficient. When you insert the key
in the lock, there is a cylinder that rotates that has a ball on one end.
This ball is inserted in a small plastic connector that connects the lock
with the rod that locks and unlocks the door. It's this plastic connect with
the hole in it that has broken. Is this a common part that can be purchased
locally? What would I look for? Answering part of my own question, it
appears to be this part:
http://www.panterapartsusa.com/cgi-bin/detail.cgi?prod_id=20074a

It is part 61 on the door drawing:
http://www.panterasbywilkinson.com/webpages/catalog/ill31a.html

2) On the passenger's side, I'm really struggling to get the afore-mentioned
ball into the afore-mentioned hole in the plastic connector. Is there some
trick to this other than patience, which I ran out of this afternoon? I
tried both connecting it before putting the door handle mechanism in the
door, as well as installing the mechanism in the door and trying to connect
it from the inside. Neither method was particularly effective. 

 

Thanks all