Yes, a year ago when I replaced hinge spring and rollers and all, I removed everything from the door to clean and lube.  I do remember that being a bugger, and what finally worked out was just more and more fiddling.  It’s like a devious Chinese puzzle, you don’t have to force anything, you just keep turning it, sliding it back, up, down, until you find the precise position it wants to be in to slide out.

Or go ugly and go straight for the torch.
gp

‘87 T3
‘81 R65
‘61 TR3

From: Alistair Bell
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2022 6:43 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: 86 sliding door handle mechanism … stumped

Hi,

I have a good slider door I want to swap into my van. Taken all the hardware off, but I can’t the the “ remote control assembly “ as Bentley calls it ( 58.18) out of the door.
Done all Bentley asks, there doesn’t seem to be any more to remove, but I can’t slide that assembly out between doors panel and the internal frame.

For the longest time i was struggling thinking it’s just a matter of the right alignment etc…

But no.

Don’t tell me I have to spread the door metal with reverse clamps…

Cheers

Alistair