Shaved door handles - '56 Chevy and stock latches

Hoping for some fresh ideas.  I saw a '58 article for this site that appeared to have shaved door handles using the stock door latches.  It appears as though the '56 and 58' are similar in function.

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas of how this can be done?

Currently we have 35 lb solenoids with a 1" pull (roughly).  We have the solenoid mounted in the cavity below the top door hinge, with the cable connected nearly horizontal to a tab that was welded fast to the bar that goes to the door handle.

This barely works with our old worn out door latches, and not at all with our new latches.  It seems that it takes considerably more than 35 lbs of pull to open this way.

At this point we are lost for any more ideas, as any thing we've come up with has lengthened the pull distance in order to reduce the required amount of force to pull the latch open.  Physics, it seems, is failing me.

Any fresh ideas at this point would be greatly welcomed.

Thanks.