The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Passenger door lock mechanism extremely tight

After a year of rebuilding my engine after it threw a rod, its finally on the road and working great! But i have a major issue with my passenger door latch
The little lock thing that the key cylinder is supposed to turn is extremely tight and i can barely actuate it with a screwdriver. ***It is not a issue with the lock cylinder or the key***
ive had this issue with both latches from classic parts and the new one from the filling station. does anyone have any earthly idea what i can do? ive already bent and broke in the surfaces and greased it to death but it continues to bend my keys when i try to lock or unlock it
is it supposed to be nice and easy or is it supposed to break keys? please help nobody seems to know.
Truck 1951 chevy 3100 1/2 ton

I think the cure is going to be to find an original latch. Everyone seems to have issues of some sort or another with the repop ones.
Mine were a bit worn, but I opted to rebuild them (welding the worn areas and resurfacing) as opposed to buying repops.

On edit: I just took a look at my passenger side latch and saw some things you could try (after removing the latch.)
The lock plate is sandwiched in with the safety catch, which is kind of spring loaded and may be what's binding up your lock. The housing extends down over the lock plate on the inside of the lock and could possibly be bent out just a touch to free up the pressure on the lock plate. It's also possible that something is binding up the lock plate, which should move fairly freely when the latch is in the closed position. There's a spring in the way of movement if the latch is in the open position. Here's a couple of pics that may help. I don't think you have anything to lose by making adjustments to your latch.

Surprisingly my aftermarket latches work well, but these were purchased back in 2010 from classic parts/chevy duty
Key function operates smooth.

I still have my originals

im going to have to remove the latch anyway because now it doesnt even lock the mechanism. doesnt seem to turn all the way however. when i have it out ill take a couple hours with a screwdriver and work it back and fourth to break it in, ill probably squirt some valve grinding compound in there to speed up the process a little. if all else fails OEM it is!
and before i re assemble ill use anti seize as a lube. the grease didnt hold up very well.