Door lock key cylinder

[vtsooner21]

Not certain if anyone has had to purchase them recently, but have you bought door cylinder locks lately? I own a '73 TR6 and a '63 TR4 and wish to add a bit of "insurance" to my investments. Should I bite the bullet and buy the lock set from Moss, etc. for a bit over $100, or has anyone found an inexpensive alternative? Also, would prefer the lock cylinders that have a locking nut on the inside as opposed to the more commonly advertised clipwings on the push through cylinder bodies? Just being a bit cheap I guess, but it pains me to pay big bucks for such a little part..lol Any ideas?

 

[dklawson]

This may not be what you want to hear, but....

When I was growing up the practice was to NOT lock your convertible. If a thief wanted something in your car it was way too easy for them to use a knife to cut the top and get in anyway (damaged/ruined top and goods stolen). Valuables were kept out of sight and locked in the boot. To protect the car itself, other methods were used like hidden battery disconnect switches or kill switches.

I don't even have door lock keys for our Spitfire.

 

[martx-5]

Lock the valuables in the boot and add some sort of hidden kill switch.

 

[vtsooner21]

Thanks, all....I'm certainly aware that any thief that wants entry into my Triumph can, and will, gain access with a knife to the top...Good to have a secure place for valuables such as the trunk. Just looking for a "deterrent" so that if a passerby wants to try the door, it might give the intruder a second chance to become honest again... I've taken the cylinders out of the door and freed them up to actually function once again.

 

[CJD]

I spent a lot of time getting my TR3 locks all working. I even had to hand fabricate a couple of the locking pawls. Then I fitted the sidecreens for the first time. I no longer worry about the locks.

John

 

[Don Elliott]

Just last month, I took apart the tumbler barrels inside the door handles on my 1958 TR3A. The rotating "cam" that locks the slider bolt were both missing. The door locks were never lockable since I restored the TR in 1990. I drilled a small hole about 0.072" diameter into the white-metal end of each tumbler barrel and inserted a length of steel shaft (like a hardened wire 0.075" diameter) and ground the length to extend about 1/8". This replaced the missing (worn away) bits that were there originally. Now I can lock the doors after 22 years and 108,000 miles.

Why go to all this trouble you ask ?

Last year not too far from where I live, a chap with a convertible BMW parked in front of a convenience store with the top down and left the car with the doors not locked. He came out minutes later to find a cop giving him a ticket for not having locked his doors. He explained that there was nothing to steal inside and the top was down. He pleaded to the judge in court and was told "The law is the law, and the law says you have to lock your doors whenever you park your car."

Now go figure.

 

[CJD]

Don, your story makes me wonder if these cars ever had locking pawls for the doors.

John

 

[Don Elliott]

John - I bought My TR3A brand new in May 1958 and the locks worked till about 1965 or so.

 

[CJD]

Great pic!

 

[RagTopMan]

John - I bought My TR3A brand new in May 1958 and the locks worked till about 1965 or so.

From what I can make out of the young lady with him, looks like that haircut must have been working better than the car's locks!

Apologies in advance if that is your sister or wife!