neil, never saw your post sorry.
i do have an update though, hence the reason i ran across this now. below is the modification i did. i put some bends in the rod to get it out where it needed to be at the right places. i failed to take a pic of the inside of the door panel. had to do some creative work behind the bezel to smooth the action where the nut for the nylon strap wants to come into the panel when pulling.
below is the mostly finished product. the door handle is temporary. seems i forgot to tell carbon joe not to cut those. so it is there to cover things up until i come up with a solution for the area. the RS pull is what opens the door. keep in mind i have a chop top that you just about sit on the floor of. that is why it is so low. perfect to pull the door closed though and for manual release when needed. i have push button releases for everyday use.
as for the handle area, thinking of a bracket to snap two-way radio on (for caravan use) and cell phone. just have to decide how to fill the space behind it.
i had to use billet window cranks when i would have preferred black. i have other billet in the car though so it works. the stock black don't allow the crank post to recess enough into the handle to lay flush against the panel. nice gap behind them (behind the stock door handles too). the billet ones where more flexible in that area.
