Ford Repair: interior door handle not working - 89 T-Bird, vicegrips, costly trip

Question
Hi,
As stated above my interior passenger door handle is not opening the door anymore on my 1989 Ford T-Bird LX Coupe.  Therefore, when locked it has to be opened from the inside with a pair of vicegrips.  I can however open it from the outside. I'd like to take a look inside the door but I can't figure how it comes apart. I popped off some minor panels but it lead me nowhere. Is getting in there a job for a pro or is this something a novice can figure out.  It would seem  mechanically straightforward.   I'd like to avoid the costly trip to the mechanic if at all possible. Thanks for any insight you could provide.

Todd Lester

Answer
These had a habit of breaking the handle. Also the mechanism the handle attaches to can fail. To remove the panel you first need to remove the door handle, which has one bolt holding it and can be accessed from the front side thru the access hole. Remove any screws you can find, then the panel should come off by lifting it away from the door.

Another possibilty is the linkage came off, the plastic retainer may have broken. This also requires removing the door panel.