Door latch confusion

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Tylinol

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Hi everyone. I was taking about the window regulators on my '69 Barracuda. While they were out, I've been replacing the lock cylinders too. The passenger's side was easy, but I couldn't get the driver's side to sit flush - it's like the handle mechanism was blocking it. To make a long story short, I think at some point someone put the wrong handle on my Barracuda, or butchered a factory one. I'll let the pics explain:

E4A74FCF-5612-4FA4-85BA-0496BD527949.jpeg


First is my passenger's side door. This looks fine, and has a big Z-shaped rod that goes from the handle to the latch. The button is black and works normally.
2358FD5A-9F5F-45A4-B6C0-58B31241D365.jpeg

This one is the driver's side. The handle internals interfere with the lock cylinder, and it's connected with a thin rod. The handle is also missing any sort of spring and doesn't return when you press it. The driver's side striker has been out since I bought the car, so I didn't realize until now that the handle didn't work. Also, this one is a chrome button.

It would seem that I need to get another handle (and maybe a latch too; it's a bit frozen). My question is - what's the deal with the two different linkage bars? can I get the thicker one anywhere and will it work on the existing (or a new) latch? Or are they supposed to be different on the drivers and passenger side?
 
69 is a 1 year specific door LATCH. Some of the related linkages are 1 year only. The "z" bar in your 1st pic is correct for several years. Remove your door latch to confirm the year.
 
Yeah, the position of the lock button on top of the door is different in 69, so the internals are also different to match. The chrome button handle is for 1967, so perhaps you have a 1967 linkage or latch as well. Or did someone swap a door? Look at the lock buttons, you might be surprised...
 
Looks like the doors are the same, although at some point a long time ago someone swapped a lot of the interior for '72 Duster stuff (door panels and center console) so it wouldn't have surprised me. Here's the latch - I'm probably going to give it a chem-dip bath if there's nothing in there that would be ruined by it. Are the thick Z shaped bars still manufactured?
623D6565-A1F7-4D45-B875-14261C104A15.jpeg
2859BE52-4106-41B1-8C96-DF2BA0A44176.jpeg
C414B146-FAA7-4CB1-81FE-5F9FA739DB6E.jpeg


BTW, for the photos I just used my small iPhone (an iphone 5, not those huge things they make today) to slide it into the inside of the door pointed at the latch. MY door panels are off, so it wasn't too bad.
 
69F0156E-5F4E-47D5-AB33-B7943D8AD36A.jpeg

Here's my driver's side door. From what I can tell, this is correct for a '69 door. My latch also looks like the '69 example in the thread you posted.
 
Yes that's a 69 door. Look at my pic again, see where I'm pointing, yours is different. Not sure why, but it could be an issue?

69 door latch.jpg
 
Hmm, they do look slightly different in that mine has an extra hole on the piece where you're pointing. My driver's side looks to be the same way, though, and it's using the Z bar, so I'm guessing it will work?

Edit: upon closer look there seem to be some slight differences in the bar next to it as well. Weird.
 
Heres more help hopefully
67-9 cuda door repair questions
Tylinol said:
Hmm, they do look slightly different in that mine has an extra hole on the piece where you're pointing. My driver's side looks to be the same way, though, and it's using the Z bar, so I'm guessing it will work?

Edit: upon closer look there seem to be some slight differences in the bar next to it as well. Weird.
Click to expand...
 
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