Ford Repair: 1968 Mustang - Repair or Replace door latch, mustang repair, door latch

Question
Hi guys,
Thanks for running this site!! The passenger side door to my 68 Mustang has gotten to the point where it no longer opens.  I have removed the inside panel and can reach in and manually pop the latch open.  I have determined where my problem seems to lie... the last step in the mechanism, where one metal piece slides down to push a little metal piece down to pop the latch open.  The piece that slides down is sliding over the smaller piece without catching it.  It seems that the smaller piece is worn to the point where it is not catching the larger moving piece as it comes down.  I am thinking about detaching the latch mechanism from the 3 connecting rods (lock, inner & outer handles) and seeing if I can repair the latch somehow.  I am not sure how to detach the rods or re-attach them and am concerned about the difficulty of the project since I seem to need to be a contortionist to get inside there.  

If it makes more sense to buy a new latch and just go that route, I will do that.  Then my concern is that things will not line up as well as the existing latch or that I might get a latch that is not the manufactured to the quality that I would like.    

Thanks for any advice, pointers or expertise you can share!!!

Answer
Two words, "Year One." This should be your everything for that wonderful 68 baby doll pony that you own. They have everything from bumper to bumper for just about every classic car out. You must be a "contortionist" to have performed the feet that you did on your own.