DOH!!! Help

Post Fri Aug 17, 2012 3:10 pm

I was doing some grinding on my inner door pillar that connects to the sill (more rust spotted) and needed to remove the door lock that connects to the body. I was expecting the back plate that you screw into to be spot welded to car but when I undid the hex bolts the back plate has fallen down into the sill. Can you remove the rear door cards and get access down into there? Its a chrome bumper cabriolet. Otherwise I am screwed!!

Post Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:04 pm

IIRC,the mounting plate should be free to slide inside a captive mount,reads like you have even more rusty bits to sort out!

Have you sorted the rusty seam at the rear of the door shut yet? Just thinking that you may be able to recover the plate via a hole there.....

Post Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:09 pm

I'm confused. He's grinding the pillar but he wants access inside the door?

TO answer the question; yes, if you undo the screws in the armrest, you can then pop off the door card and get access to the inside of all E30 doors.

Post Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:14 pm

Grrrmachine wrote:I'm confused. He's grinding the pillar but he wants access inside the door?

TO answer the question; yes, if you undo the screws in the armrest, you can then pop off the door card and get access to the inside of all E30 doors.

I'm working on the assumption that the OP means the keeper plate in the rear of the door shut,this has a mounting plate within the pillar to allow for adjustment to the door shut,there's no similar mount for the latching gear in the door jamb.

Post Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:44 pm

It's the metal plate that the door lock latches onto when shut. It's not connected to the door but to the body. I thought you would be able to unscrew the bolts and it would have captive nuts but as I unscrewed the but the backing plate inside the panel fell to the bottom. If you take out the rear interior card by the back seat will oh have access to the bottom of the panel?

Post Fri Aug 17, 2012 4:49 pm

Yes, if you have stupidly small fingers/hands. If not, you'll have to remove the rear glass and motor, which is straight forward. Door card off, undo the 10mm bolts that hold the motor and glass in place and lift it out... You should then be able to get what your after from above.

If you have a long magnetic pole, you might be able to fish it out with the window put all the way down...

Picture so you can see what the access is like though