I have an 85 pontiac trans am, its beautiful, kept her inside in the winters.
One day I went to open her up & the door handle slipped off the linkage
on the inside, she wouldn't open. Hmmm, I'll try the other door I thought.
Bingo! You guessed it, same damn thing. So now I got this beautiful
85 Trans am with maybe 90,000 on the orginal engine, but can't get into the bitch, 'cept through the rear(now that didn't sound right).
Can anybody help me find parts for the insides of the doors, the door latch mechanism specifically. I'd like to take her out and show it but its hard to do when you can't get into her.

 

Are you sure it needs new latches? Broken handles or latch rod retainers I could believe, but two new latches?

 

There are shop manual diagrams in the following link that may prove useful:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...servation.html

JamesC

 

The rod end connected to the handle seems to be missing a retainer as it keeps slipping out of the hole it uses to connect to the handle. I tried a round nylon retainer from the
the hardware store ($.49 ea) and it didn't hold. The latch mechanism itself seems to jam
in the closed position as well.

 

Nice pics, but, I can't make out the part that retains the rod end into the door handle
it appears to be some kind of retainer that I am missing.

 

There is a plastic retaining clip.

JamesC

 

Any idea where I can get one of them?

 

I can't imagine that the dealership won't have them--I suspect the clips have been used, and continue to be, for several decades. I may have seen them at the automotive stores as well.

JamesC