thanks for the heads up on these. i installed 3 out of 4 just now. i actually cant believe that the rubber "plug" is still pliable after 30+ years. that must be the highest quality piece of rubber on the entire car.
the plug slides out away from the metal. so if you put a screwdriver blade in between the rubber and the metal clamp you can pry it down and out. it has grooves that align on the locking eye so you cant install it the wrong way.
the doors shut like a mercedes now
also i had no issues at all getting the bolts that hold the striker to the body out. maybe it has something to do with it being a california car. dunno. the old locking eyes shattered into pieces when i removed them, so they were obviously needing to be replaced.