door latch will not release1971 Olds Cutlass

You should be able to open the door by pulling on the rods right? Those rods are probably stretched and just need a little bending to shorten them up to the latch.

I can reach in the door and manually activate the latch mechanism without releasing the latch- also, the outside door latch is off the car, and the lever that activates from that side can be depressed without unlatching. Not the rods.