In the photo with Paul Mantz, you can see what looks like a sight glass that has been added to the aft side of the door frame. It is not evident in the photo of AE listening to the headsets. Would be interesting to date these photos and create a timeline of when stuff was added.
My guess is that, combined with the sight glass, the rods are valve controls for fuel management.
Also interesting to note that with these rods in place, the cabin door would not have been possible to close, yet it is still there.
amck