Use an upholstery removal tool at the FLAPS about $7 , fits right under each clip and pops them right out.  

I used to destroy panels, put have not in some time, now.

Adam Puzerewski
81 westy
74 beetle
86 cabrio
Vanagon Partsmobiles
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chris Smith 
  To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
  Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2000 4:26 PM
  Subject: Re: [VANAGON] 81 Sliding door stuck

  At 01:17 AM 8/18/00 -0400, kathy jacobs wrote:

    Please reply to opawalt@my-deja.com
    This was posted on the aircooled newsgroup. 
    Help!! My 1981 VW Vanagon has a new problem. The
    sliding door will NOT open. I have taken apart
    everything I can to try and understand the
    problem, but the final disassembly requires the
    door to be open and that is the problem!

    Has anyone out there ever heard of this problem
    or what I can do about it? I really hate to use a
    torch. Any ideas would be welcome.

  This just happened to my '82, wow small world!  The front catch was not opening but the rear was.  The solution was strange,  the cable that goes from the forward latch to the rear latch was not seated properly in it's holder at the front latch.  To fix it I adjusted the little adjuster to lengthen the cable a little touch.  Then I placed it back in it's holder (through the notch) and gave the door a try.  Voila, it worked.   Why the cable going to the back was keeping the front from working is a new one to me.

  The hard part was getting the old door panel clips out without trashing the panel.  I was not successful with that.  But i figure a nice sheet of  melamite  would be a decent replacement.

  I hope this helps

  Chris Smith
  '82 Westy, T.U.R.D.
  '74 Thing. Thingy
  Some cars that really run

  -- Lowering property values since 1982! --

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