As you guys may have guessed, i’m on the short strokes of the resto of my sprint, the door installation and assembly. As ive said a number of times the car has been in bits since the seventies, and I mean component parts!
I’m on to the lock mechanisms now 
Where do all the little rods go, which way round, and how the hell do you get to them to fit them???
Regards
Bob
This diagram from the parts list may help you identify where the rods go (click on the image to open it then you can zoom in) …fitting them requires dexterity and lots of patience. I find a pair of long handled needle nose pliers with angled jaws helps…but not much 
Thats useful, thanks Roger. i’ll bet training as a midwife would help too!
…or a proctologist 
It’s been a few years since I did mine but if I recall correctly
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I did a trial fit of the parts on the bench before they went into the door and had to enlarge some holes to get those clips in.
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I did a lot of the assembly into the door on the bench with the door horizontal as gravity is against you with the door on the car.
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R Dent in the US do an all plastic version of those pesky clips and I found them easier to use in some locations but can’t remember which.
Not sure if that helps?
Hopefully you will not have the same problem I did:
I could not get the rod (16) that is actuated by the external door handle button to stay in the slot with the normal clips. Kept falling out. Don’t know if the slot on my mechanism was worn after the years and thus too large. I probably was also doing something else wrong, but I was under time pressure, so:
In the end I cut some threads on the end of the rod and screwed a small nylock nut on the end to keep the rod from falling out. A bit of a bodge, but hidden, and secure. The rest of the rods were retained as normal, with the clips.
I also found the original clips much better to work with. Replacement clips (from Sue Miller) were too strong to clip on the rods by hand. Even with pliers very difficult. I tried spreading the clips to make them easier to install but in the end just used the originals.
High Bob,
Your sketch of the assembly is correct. You need to assemble the plastic bush to the clip and into the hole in the lock lever before you insert the rod through the bush, the rod spreads the bush “legs” and locks it into the lever…if you insert the rod beforehand you won’t then get the bush through the hole in the lever. Sorry if that’s obvious !
I found that too and deduced it was because the plastic bush rotates 'til the two “legs” align with the slot and no longer hold the clip in place. I overcame it by fitting the clip the other side of the lever so the plastic bush goes through the slot then through the clip and locks more securely into the round hole, need to tweak the offset in the clip a little to account for the thickness of the lever or it won’t clip onto the rod.
Edit:-Looking through my pictures I’m reminded that you can fit at least one and possibly both of the short rods to the lock before you fit the lock to the door, may help a bit !
New clips help everything stay together as they will be just that little bit bigger.
Whatever assembly you can do outside makes sense.
I know im being pedantic, but i want to be sure:
Are we agreed that this assembly sequence is correct?
Regards
Bob
You know Bob, because the clips come preassembled I’ve always had the clip nearer the rod - but your sketch makes a lot of sense for the tricky fixing into the slot.
It should make them more secure - good thinking 
In the past I’ve even tried to use a thin washer to improve grip (unsuccessfully) - this latearl thinking is a better idea as it doesn’t introduce extra “thickness”
Bob, I agree with Mark that the clips are designed to be fitted pre-assembled from the rod side of the lever. Your method is probably more secure and is the way I ended up fitting the clip to the slotted lever to prevent the rod pulling out (as mentioned above). However, you may find it even more tricky to assemble that way while groping about inside the door.
I think this tricky connection can be done before the lock is inserted into the door.
I reckon holding the nuts in place whilst screwing in the fixings is tougher.
At the risk of telling grandmothers to suck eggs you may want to consider holding them in a spanner with masking tape to get them in place.
Sorry Mark, I dont understand your reference to holding nuts with a taped spanner. Am I missing something???
No you’re not - a senior moment on my part
I was thinking about the window frame fixings which you’ve already done.
Spot on 100% Bob and i can see you’re making good use of your coloured Crayons you had for Christmas
Alan
Some struggle!, but ive managed to fit the lock and mechanism on the passenger side, it still requires work as its quite stiff. Ive a feeling that ive fitted the external lock on the wrong door, if thats possible. It seems to me that the wire between the lock body and the external key lock is operating at an awkward angle. Can anyone tell me if these keylocks are handed in application?
Incidentally, as I was evaluating the wire linkage clips, I found that two of the clips were different to the others
having large diameter plastic components with corresponding larger holes in the clip itself. These clips fitted perfectly into the elongated actuation lever of the lock and resulted in a nice smooth positive action. As Ive said, work on this car has been going on sparodically for decades and I dont remember if I bought more clips during the time or if theyre original, but the two larger diameter ones look newer than the others.
You must think that I had a nice colouring in set for Christmas?! But I find it easier to identify and orient components when ive colour coded the fittings.
The red lever is the one with the larger orifice in which the larger clip gave a more satisfactory functionality. The green (Inner door latch) lever has the smaller diameter holes.
The key locks are a pair but I think they can be fitted on either side of the car, the only difference it will make is which way up the key hole is … on my S4 the flat edge of the key is uppermost on both doors.
If the lock rod angle looks wrong you may have it the wrong way round or on the wrong side of the car … the rods are handed.
Don’t forget to fit the friction washer on the lock barrel.
OK im going to bite the bullet and check the linkages even if I have to dismantle.
By the way, my door external locks are keyed so that to remove the key it has to be vertical, my keys dont have a flat side. I realised that there should be a friction washer on the locks but couldnt find them, hence the weapons grade antivibration washer!.
ihave sketched the nearside wire linkage shape and orientation from the parts manual diagram and will use it to check my installation.
Regards
Bob
Not just crayons for Xmas, Felt tips as well - You must have been really good last year
The super size clip sounds to be just the job. Mine date from before 1982 and were all small. The car had been repeated when I got it so the locks may have been out before.
Does anyone know if the larger size were a standard fitment?