replacing outside door handles?

Help! I am having a hard time getting old droopy handles off. I removed the plastic cover and removed the (2)nuts. I have pulled out on the "clip" that the rod from the handle slides through about 1/2 way like the article I saw on corvetfacs said, but the linkage rod doesn't want to come off. Its hard to see, but it looks like it has threads? Anyone done this and have any tips? By the way, windows are all the way down. Does the glass position matter? Thanks, I've always gotten useful help here before. You guys are sure helpfull and its appreciated.

Here's the only way I could get the linkage rod for the exterior handle disconnected and then reconnected. I removed the two window reglators and two "anti-rattle cushions" at the top of each door. Then I rolled the window UP as far as it would go, which is further than usual because those parts are removed. Then you should have plenty of room to get to the clip holding the lower end of the rod, either with your hands or needle-nose pliers. If it helps, the regulators are metal squares with one side concaved so that the window roller stops against it. They are held in with one bolt each.

By the way, this is NOT the tough part. You will discover that to be getting both nuts back on the door handle itself. One is easy. The one in the back seems impossible. In fact, after trying many homemade gadgets that I thought were pretty inventive and exhausting my patience, I hate to say I gave up and left only one nut holding each. At least for now, one nut seems to hold just fine...

Maybe someone else has a trick for that nut?

Get a piece of rubber vinyl hose. Put the nut in the end of the hose, and use a section few inches long as a handle. The hose flexes and allow some off center movement. Once started, just pull the hose off.

When I replaced the handles on my '76, I left the glass down, but removed the three screws holding the latch into the trailing edge of the door; that gave a little more room for withdrawing the handles while the rod comes out with it. (From the sounds of it.... if you were able to remove the plastic shields.... you already might have loosened the latch ?)

For getting the back nut on, I used a piece of electrical tape in a ratcheting box-end wrench to hold the nut, and lots of patience ! I also put loc-tite on those....

Hope that help,
//Pancho