Truck door wont open

[brute]

I have an old beater of a truck. I purchased it in the days of yore when I did hard labor on my family farm. I don't really do much of that these days, but the sentimental value is high. So yes, I should probably just set it on fire and enjoy the show, then get a more reasonable vehicle, but I won't any time soon. Unless something else goes wrong with this damn thing...

Now the question. How do I open the door to a fully manual 2003 chevy 2500hd when neither the outside handle nor the inside handle work? If I could get the door open, I could pop off the plastic cover and get to the latch mechanism to see what's going on, and pull the handles to see if they're functioning. But alas, the door doesn't open. I've peeled the inside panel back and I can see the metal wires going from the inner handle and the lock. The lock works just fine, and the inner handle seems to be able to move the latch a little, but not enough to open.

At this point, I'm thinking I may have to take a reciprocating saw and cut the striker bolt for the latch, then replace the bolt afterwards. I'd rather not though. Any thoughts?

[Proud Foot]

Since you were able to peel the panel back enough to see the wires is there a way you could grab the wire from the handle with some pliers to try to open it that way? Although it seems like it may be more of a latch issue if neither handle works.

[brute]

Since you were able to peel the panel back enough to see the wires is there a way you could grab the wire from the handle with some pliers to try to open it that way? Although it seems like it may be more of a latch issue if neither handle works.

I'm also thinking latch issue at this point. I was able to grab the wire and pull, but the latch didn't budge even though I could feel the wire moving. It's possible that the wire from the outside handle isn't fully seated, not allowing the latch to function though. I'll see if I can reach it and reseat it.