door lock acutators?

[BerniniCaCO3]

Hi!

Doing my door lock actuators this afternoon.
Got all three broken locks out, drilled out the rivets.

I'm trying to figure out how to install the new ones!

I see the snap ring on the backside. With the lock motor out, I can get it off-- barely. It keeps slipping off the snap ring pliers.
So while one method would be to remove the snapring, pull out that steel round thingy, and re-rivet, then reinstall the snap ring, I have serious doubts that I'll ever get the snap ring back on.

I'm considering now, drilling and tapping for a 7/16-24" thread and then putting a very short bolt through, threading into the steel round thingy rather than messing with rivets.

What is your advice?

[BerniniCaCO3]

actually I'd only gotten the tailgate lock out...
I can't seem to get the angle right to pull the two door lock actuators out! Any advice and help?!?
There's a little hook with 2 90-degree bends, but I can't get the long arm angled more than say 20 degrees, so I can't get it free...

Would removing the door latch mechanism, held with those 3 large screws (which are likely to strip out before they come out), make this easier?

[gadget73]

I've always just fought with it and cussed a lot and eventually managed to find the magic position. They are an SOB to do, no doubt about it. The later ones don't have that stupid Z shaped end on the rod. They have a flip-clip and a 90 degree on the end. Just flip the clip up and slide the lock actuator out. I'd love to find a source for those clips and retrofit a lot of things. My Towncar has the Z shaped BS and it *sucks*


as for re-attaching it, honestly the 1/4" rivet is the way to go. If you really dont want to do it that way, a small 1/4" nut and bolt would do the job but then you have to mess with re-attaching the lock motor to its bracket inside the door and thats a pain.

[BerniniCaCO3]

wait, with the rivet, I DON'T need to mess with reattaching the lock motor to its bracket in the door?
It looked like I needed to mess with that snap ring inside of the door if I did the rivet. Let me know if I don't need to-- THEN I'll get a rivet set

Actually, instead of that z shape end, I'm now seriously contemplating cutting it off and threading it and putting a washer and bolt to secure it.
Any reason that shouldn't work?
If it ever dies again (the first one lasted 20 yrs, but this new one is made in china... did the replacements last for you?), I'll thank myself.

The final serious difficulty is that the rods the kit came with, none of them are long enough to match the rods in the door.
I see two, or three, options.
It looks like the rods in the kit *might* be aluminum, but if not, there's cutting and welding
I can cut the rod off of the original motor, grind it, punch it, drill a hole for the securing pin, and reuse. But if the lock motor ever dies again, I won't be able to do that a 2nd time.
Fabricate a new rod in a similar fashion, though it'll end up being mild steel... or if someone makes a motor kit that HAS the right rod length?

[BerniniCaCO3]

*sigh* and one other question-- find a substitute for those plastic thingies that the z-shaped end went through?