Driver side door stuck !HELP!

[ISPKI]

This is not so much a diesel discussion as much as it is an OBS question.

The driver side door on my 94 is jammed closed.

I was leaving a job site in my truck and the door wouldnt close on the striker. Known issue, has a new striker and I dont have it aligned quite right. Didnt really have time to fidget with it so I slammed it closed. Drove up the street to my arborist supplier and I couldnt get the door open!

Fought with it for a bit and then the handle broke off! I have spent several hours now trying to get this darn door open and the thing just wont budge. Even had a buddy pressing the button in on the outside and pulling on it while I tried to slam it open from the inside, had the door bending outward so bad I though I was going to break the window inside. Didnt move at all.

And before you ask, yes it is unlocked! I am really at a point where I dont know what to do except pry it open with a crowbar or cut thru the door. I cant get the inside panel off without cutting it off either. How the heck can I get this thing open!?

 

[Jesus Freak]

Man! It really sounds like it's twerked on the striker in just such an way. My immediate thought is to use a flat bar , maybe protected with a cloth or piece of rubber, and gingerly pry right where the striker is....... while holding your breath!

 

[Jesus Freak]

...... the suspense is KILLIN' me!!!......I hope he has a sandwich, and a bottle of water.....

 

[Jesus Freak]

Do y'all think he's okay?..... @ISPKI !!!! Are you alright!!!

 

[Black dawg]

Had one almost exactly like this last winter. He had trouble getting the door closed because he had adjusted the strike to hold the door up higher. Finally got it closed and then it wouldnt open inside and outside handles felt like door was locked. He got the panel off, and I had to mess with the linkages ( cant remember wich one) and then it opened.

 

[Jesus Freak]

So, I've been thinking (uh oh).....what if he's a big Duke's of Hazzard fan? And he thought it would be cool to just jump in and out of his window? We don't know exactly how big or small he is........ could he be stuck? Is he on the run from Roscoe and afraid to login to Oil Burners for fear of being tracked on one of his moonshine runs? Will there ever be closure? Maybe his fuel system started sucking air? Maybe he fell for the "Faset" pump and he's hitching a ride?........

 

[ISPKI]

I AM ALIVE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN.

Yeah, I was stuck in the cab for a bit. Drove it over to my buddy's shop, he wasnt home at the time but came home before I passed out from dehydration. He was able to pass me some tools and water thru the rust hole in the back corner passenger side of the cab and we were able to get the passenger door open.

Now that my life isnt in danger, I can get to the meat and potatoes of the issue. Root cause - neither of us have any idea. Never seen a door jam shut like this and this buddy of mine has owned a number of old domestics, including numerous old fords.

What seems to be the issue is that the hinges are out of alignment and the pins/bushings are shot and the striker shifted down and in. When I slammed the door closed, it seems that it destroyed the nylon bushing on the striker and only partially latched on it. When pressing the button on the outside of the door in, the rod it actuates would just bend.

We were able to pry the inner door skin away enough to be able to get some tools down inside the door. We ripped the dust shield off the inside so we could see the latching mechanism and ultimately snuck a steel bar down and used it to whack the latch lever which released the door.

In case anyone needed to know, NO YOU CANNOT PRY THESE DOORS OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE. Tried it 10x different ways, bent alot of metal, dont even friggin bother, its not going to happen without destroying everything. I blocked off the body, padded everything, used a 5ft demolition bar, all I achieved was bending everything, latch didnt budge at all.

 

[Jesus Freak]

That's good news and good information....... let's just hope @Cant Write hired a midget to hold his brake pedal while he's away from Wally...... that's the other thread that's hangin' right now!