I have a 80 vette the door handle has a rod attached is it straight or does it have a curve?  my door hand will not unlock the door from the outside I think the rod is bent. It will not push the lever down far enought to unlock the door

Its been a while since Ive had my door handles out but I do believe there is a slight bend in the rod which attaches to the flapper handle.  There is an adjustable pawl which attaches to the opposite end of the rod.  You can adjust the rod to a degree by screwing this pawl up or down the rod, this will allow the handle to push down further on the door latch mechanism.  Getting the clip off and back on the end of the pawl is the real trick.  It can be a real PITA

The assembly instruction manual (AIM) might help.  It shows the installation of the door hardware including the opening mechanism.  AIM also lists the original part numbers if you need replacement parts.