Tedro951

Did the key turn the locks smoothly before hooking the linkage up?

RZ944T

For the most part, yes.
All portions of the driver side worked fine: interior and exterior handles, interior and exterior lock, and door latch mechanism.
The passenger side locks (interior and exterior) were "sticky" which I attributed to underutilization over 25 some years.
Thank you.
Also meant to say: When I removed the lock assemblies from the original 944 handles, I kept keys in the locks so the tumblers wouldn't fly out, cleaned the assemblies well, lubricated lightly, put the springs and lock actuator mechanisms back together properly, and installed in the 968 handles. Then tested the locks with both of my keys and they both worked correctly.

Tedro951

The only problem I ran into was with central locking. If the microswitch is attached to the handle with the gear in the wrong position it can cause some crazy central lock action.

RZ944T

Thanks Ted. I have the manual locks and don't need to worry about the hassle of the central locking system. I think I will give up doing it myself and have either the dealer or trusted local mechanic help me finish the job. I am really bummed as so many others have done this successfully. Hopefully, it will something simple.