Removed door catch and the unthinkable happened...HELPPP

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gdizzle

gdizzle

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So working on my passenger 66 dart sedan door, not closing right. Was told to remove the door catch and check the door. So as I removed the door catch.....the threaded backing plate slipped right down, and is now resting at the bottom of the pillar. Please give me any suggestions that might help me get that thing back into position. There is a small hole at the base of the pillar, which I enlarged enough to get my pinky in it, and I can feel the plate.
Now the car is not drivable, which is an issue because it is my daily driver.

I tried removing the back door to see if any access through those holes, and I can't really see any. DO I have to cut a slot in the pillar??? how,,help..
 
Remove the rear seat then the inside side panel reach thru the braces and grab it
 
A hole in bott om you can get pinkie thru? Maybe insert a light wire (20 ga.) in top to bottom. Work it untill you gan grab it with needle nose pliers. Pull it out and bend a hook which is then worked back into threaded hole. Lift wire pulling plate back into approximate position. (Not sure about this part) but try to secure in place with strong magnet. Good luck , sounds like a tough one but with patience along with a lot of frustration most anything can be accomplished.
Yote
 
Yote said:
A hole in bott om you can get pinkie thru? Maybe insert a light wire (20 ga.) in top to bottom. Work it untill you gan grab it with needle nose pliers. Pull it out and bend a hook which is then worked back into threaded hole. Lift wire pulling plate back into approximate position. (Not sure about this part) but try to secure in place with strong magnet. Good luck , sounds like a tough one but with patience along with a lot of frustration most anything can be accomplished.
Yote
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The wire might work, but if you need a strong magnet, find an old stereo speaker, the bigger the better, that you can sacrifice. I would probably just dig it out with a coat hanger. Good luck!
If nothing else works use some rope or a bungee cord to hold the door shut until you have more time to mess with it.
 
Good ideas guys. I like the magnet idea, but unsure how to keep it from sticking to the pillar. I am leaning towards, taking a piece of string or fishing line, put a small weight on it, drop it down from the top, then find it at the bottom and try to tie it to the backing plate. then pull it up. I have a fear that if I luckily get it pulled up, no promise that it will be right side up, or even backwards. then what? dont think there is any room to reposition it once it gets close. With the magnet are you guys thinking I can place a magnet on the outside of the pillar and shimmy it up?
Hey GDrill, I looked at your link, i see where you cut to get the piece, but how did you reinstall the backing plate?
 
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Update: So I took a pull chain from a fan, dropped it into the top hole, found it at the bottom and pulled several inches out. Then carefully threaded it into one of the holes on the backing plate and then connected the clasp. Then pulled it up, while pressing in on the spring plate. I felt it jam, and I had no idea what direction it was coming up, but after 10 minutes of jingling , it came right into place and was correctly rightside up. Done. Reattached catch and got it mostly adjusted to close correctly, still sorta hard to close it without a big slam.
Thanks for your help guys. I thought for sure I was going to have to cut open a large hole to get it sorted out.
 
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