Door disassembly

If you have 356/VW style handles, push the trim ring into the door panel with enough force to expose the perpendicular pin holding the handle on to the shaft.  While holding the trim ring in, use a 1/8" punch and tap the pin out.  That will allow the handle to be removed and the trim ring will just fall off onto your foot.  

I don't know if Lawing used screws to attach the inner panel to the door.  If so, remove them and the panel will fall off, too.   If you don't see any screws (like on my car!) then you have "blind clips" holding the panel on and you'll have to approximate where the clips are, slip a thin pry tool between the panel and the door and gently pop the panel off.  watch out that you don't mar the paint of the door and get as close to the clip as possible to pop them out.

MASKING Tape everything ...  

Thanks!

Often issues with latch are due to the original grease hardening and getting grit embedded (or the body side striker plate moving).  Have you tried cleaning the moveable latch with say spray brake cleaner?  You can then lubricate with spray lithium grease or frequently with WD40.  

The bottom bolt that holds the inner mechanism to the outer plate was loose.   I over tightened it.   Then when I went to loosen it back up, I heard something fall inside the door.   Now the latch doesn't work from the exterior, but it does work from the inside handle.    The outside thumb-thingy is stuck in the pushed-in position.

Well, that was pretty simple!  Thanks for the tips!

I had over tightened the top screw.  The bottom screw is under a piece of reflective tape, and the nut on the inside of the door had loosened to the pint where the lever on the thumb button was not actuating the mechanism.

It is an amazingly simple mechanism in there, to the point that you look at it and say, "That's it?  That's all there is to it?  And it WORKS?"

It's always great when you can fix something.  Congrats!