Unhooked cable on garage Door

[DavePrior]

Hi - need your help please!
Up and over panel garage door, standard locking mechanism (I've no idea what it may be referred to as, sorry).
Garage door lock and release mechanism was replaced recently. The cable from the back of the lock appears to have come away, and no longer moves the two bars away so that the door can be raised. And yes, you've guessed it, some numpty did this whilst shutting the door.
Short of taking the roof off, any ideas please?
Garage is in a block.

Many thanks in advance...

 

[JohnD]

I once had to do this, had a look at my neighbour's identical door, measured carefully, drilled a hole in the door and pushed the cable to tension it and withdraw the bolt.

There is a chance you could put a shim through the gap round the door, if they are spring-latched.

Put a small coach bolt to fill the hole afterwards.

Before I worked out how to do it,I was thinking of putting a saw through the gap round the door to cut the bolts.

 

[DavePrior]

John - thanks for the reply, I'm afraid I don't quite understand (must be Alzheimers kicking in early). How do you mean "push the cable" ?

 

[JohnD]

on my one (since replaced) the handle had a T-shaped operator. Cables were attached to each end of the T. When you rotated the handle, the cables were tensioned and pulled round by (about) 1/4 of the circumference of the circle described by the ends of the T.

This pulled the cable. At the end of the cable were steel bolts with a spring to hold them out. When the cable was pulled the bolts retracted. So by drilling an access hole in the door and pushing the cable I was able to put tension on it which pulled the bolts out of their latched position.

Yours may be a different design. My other garage door has flat steel strip attached to a similar T, with no springs, so this method would not work.

I bet Handyhands knows a way but he will suggest you call in a local locksmith. Burglarising methods are best not publicised.

 

[DavePrior]

John - many thanks. My door is unfortunately not sprung, although everything else is the same as your door.
HandyHands - perhaps you could email me if you prefer not to publish this info.

Once again - many thanks...

 

[HandyHands]

If it's a cable that's come loose, then the latch/catches are likely to be sprung - as mentioned by JohnD. Does it lock at the sides, or top/bottom?

These are buggers to open when faulty, and unless you can prise the door away from the frame to access the mechanism and claw it back - some damage to the door or frame is likely.

Any photo's or additional info on the lock would be useful.