I recently bought a 1988 firebird and after the second day the door to the drivers side didn't open. i took the inside door panel off and well i was told that there was a piece missing that connects from the rod that goes from the door handle to the part that opens the doors, they told me it was a plastic clip or something, can anyone help me, i don't know what that part is called.... hope that all made sense

 

The outside handle may have broken, it's pretty common. The door still opens from the inside right? If you look at the rod that runs from the outside handle to the door latch you can see if it's still connected or not. Im not sure if the 88 used a plastic clip or the stamped steel retainer on the handle to hold the rod in. If whatever it was fell out it's probably in the bottom of the door. Let us know what you find.

 

no i checked there is no clip or anything inside the door. but the rod is not connected to the latch right now and yea, it still opens from the inside, how do i know what part that is?

 

Here are some pics. The first one shows a handle off the car with the clip attached but the rod is not in the clip. The other pic is the rods in the latch looking thru the top with the window down. The rod from the handle just sets in the hole in the latch. It's an odd angle but you can see what I mean.

 

Just about any GM parts dept can help you. Just describe to them what you need... the rod retainer for the outside door handle. Also most bodyshops would have some in their junk drawer. A lot of cars use a similar part and many would work. And there are always some at the junk yard. Good luck.

 

where can i get that part for my door?