I got up at the crack of dawn today to replace the worn door detent on the driver's side of my '73 RS. My door basically flies open and I don't like that so logic says I've got a worn detent, right?

After I finally figured out how to remove the door panel, I removed the old detent. It was a steel assembly with a steel arm that passes through 2 pulleys inside of the door (if that makes any sense). It fastens to the inside of the door by using 2 allen head bolts on the outside of the door.

Here's where things got interesting: My replacement unit is a one piece brass assembly that has a body that is about 1 inch square. Moreover, this unit has 2 studs that stick out through the door. It is fastened to the door by using two nuts & washers(instead of the two allen head bolts on the original unit).

Two problems with this replacement unit: the studs that stick out are positioned in such a manner that I can't get a socket on the two nuts on the outside of the door to tighten the unit into position. I was able to hand tighten it and attach the arm to the body of the car, but then the door didn't want to shut (i.e. the arm wasn't retracting into the door. I didn't want to force things for fear of bending the sheet metal where the detent mounts to the door.

I have a strange feeling that the detent I am using is actually made for '74 and newer cars. But I would welcome input from anybody who may have experienced this problem.

My gut tells me to wait for some good advice before I screw anything up by using too much force. I'm all ears if anybody can guide me through this. Thanks in advance for any help!