Volkswagen: slidding door handles and latch on 1971 bus, latch assembly, door latch

Question
Ron,
Thanks for the reply to my original question. I'm still working at it. The rear end of the slidding door latching mechanism is OK. It's the part with the handle, key and manual lever lock that I'm having trouble with. All the screws are removed, the interior panel is off, but,the whole latch assembly is stuck tight. I can't figure out how to get the handle out which may be causing it to be so stubborn. The interior, manual locking lever will not turn, neither handle will move up or down, and the handle assembly only moves slightly when I tap it with a hammer. There is definately, something else holding it in place that I can't see. The spindle that passes through for the handles to attach to is the only thing I can think of. How do I get the exterior, slidding door handle off? Do you think this will help get the rest of the assembly out to work on? Thanks.
Aloha, Robholders-----------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Original owner of my '71 Komi bus. Getting it ready to sell. The slidding door latch is not working. Handles are frozen/locked and will not move. Locking mechanism won't turn. I don't know if it is in the lock, or unlocked position. I can get the door to slide closed, but not latch fully closed. Everything associated with the handles is unmovable. I tried to remove the entire handle assembly and it won't budge. There are no screws left to remove. There is no key. Manual lock inside will not turn. Seems like I'm missing something criticle and easy.
-----Answer-----
Hi Rob,

Remove the sliding door cover panel.  This will give you acess to unscrew this mechanism.

Take a look, the connecting rod could be jammed, or the mechanism needs to be removed and cleaned/re-oiled.  (this is easy).

If that fails to work, check the latch against the door jamb, that can be unscrewed and made lower or higher.  It may need to be slid up or down and resecured to ensure no more jamming.

Best of Luck, thanks for writing in.

Ron

P.S. I hope you are getting another VW!!!

Answer
There should be a small hex screw on the side of the outside handle that lets it loose.   

If you cannot find it, let me know and I'll check my bus later and let you know exactly where it is.

The interior has a plastic cap over it, and you just need to remove it and take off the screw.

Ron