• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Key holes...

Share this page

Nunyas

Nunyas

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Hi,

I've been meaning to ask this for some time now, but haven't incase I come across the answer in my daily browse... heh. Anyways, on the body of my car in the area between the trunk lid and the edge of the cockpit area, there are two objects that look like keyed locks of some sort. However, I have no keys that fit them, and I can't see what they connect to to be able to figure out what they're for. Does anyone know what I'm talking about, and know what the two locks are for?
 
without a picture I'm not quite sure what you are talking about but I'll take a stab in the dark.. are these two objects chrome plated and almost octogon shaped?
 
Only bits that should be there, chrome or otherwise, are lift-the-dot studs and two hooks for the top / tonneau.
 
I was just going to say that the octogon shaped parts are what my 71 uses for the static shoulder belt "system"
 
nope, it's neither the lift-the-dot studs nor the hooks. I've identified those pieces and what they're for. I have two keyed lock looking objects (similar to the key holes on the doors, but more button like in shape) just outside and forward (i.e. towards the passenger compartment) of the two hooks. They're not chrome. Well they're not chrome now. They've been painted over. I have a '76 'B if that helps... I find them odd because I can't find them in any of the parts catalogues that I've looked at, and I haven't been able to figure out what they're supposed to do. I'll see if i can dig up a picture of another 'B that has them...
 
Do they have the slots of a key hole? And if so does you key fit? They might open the hidden compartment to the loot. Or since there are two of them, they might nuke Moscow. Either way, what fun!

And can you see any more of them from the trunk? Wires might say they are some sort of security system, battery or fuel cutoffs, maybe?
 
Sounds like the posts used to anchor the shoulder-belts - but your description doesn't sound like a "post". Your description of the location fits the proper location for the anchors though.
 
I agree with Obi-Wan...it does sound like the mounts for the shoulder seat belt that the MGB's had before the retractor system was mounted on the rear wheelwell in 1971. I have seen many different things used to cover or fill those holes, which remained in the tooling of the panel for many years after. My 74 has brass plugs which I think were from the factory.

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
I had two of them and now only have one after my paint job. Luckily enough they are hidden under either the tonneau cover or the rag top. I believe they are holes for mounting a hardtop. If anyone ever finds out where I can get one please contact me at xsteamer@bmts.com
 

Attachments

  • 108679-1973MGBafterrestoration.jpg
    108679-1973MGBafterrestoration.jpg
    52 KB · Views: 60
they distinctly have the keyed lock look to them complete with spreng loaded flap to cover the slot where a key would go into it. They're forward of the bulkhead. I tried to find pictures of a car that shows them on the net, but every picture I've seen of an MGB had them covered by the top, tonneau, or top boot cover. If I have time this weekend, I'll see if I can move my Hartop enough to get a good picture of them.
 
Can you see underneath the tonneau panel in this area? I don't have a B handy so I can't go look at ours. But if they are actually keyholes-ie, there is a slot for some sort of key to fit inside, and they appear to have been able to be turned at some point-then I vote for some sort of security system. Ignition or battery cutoff.

Early C3 Corvettes had what looked like a door or trunk lock on the back panel, between the taillights, despite these cars not having a trunk with opening lid. The "lock" was an ignition cutoff for security.

-Wm.
 
I agree with the common idea here that the location of these lock cylinders is where the old shoulder belt anchors were.
I thought for a long time that these holes were for some kind of hard top fastening. Even saw some with the chrome stud and plastic tab and still figured it was for a top. Then I saw a car with the shoulder belts installed, and, AHA!
As for lock cylinders being there, who knows. It has to be somthing the PO had installed. Could be a security system, but why two? They may have had tabs on the underside that could have spun around to hold some kind of box (speaker or tool kit or somthing) where it was secure and out of sight (or at least easily removable). or maybe they held a fabricated wind deflector. You know, the little plexiglass piece you can get that sticks up behind the seats.
Or maybe if you unlock both of them the car comes apart for easy storage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
Just some random thoughts. Like I said, who knows what the PO had rigged up. But I'm quite sure they are not stock.
 
Ok, I looked at them briefly tonight and found that i did not have to remove my Hardtop to get pictures of them. They're clearly visible through the rear window. So, here's a picture of each one, since there's one on each side. Hopefully these are clear enough for y'all to see. I've attached a picture of the one on the passenger side in case the images that I've embedded into this post don't show up correctly.

Driver's Side:
key1.JPG


Passenger's Side:
key2.JPG
 

Attachments

  • 108769-key2.JPG
    108769-key2.JPG
    61.6 KB · Views: 51
AHH! I'm so glad you asked this question! My B (74 1/2) has these 'things' too! I just asked dahubby what they were for at the car show a couple weeks ago. He didn't have a clue but wondered if they had to do with the hard top (that I've never put on the car)

Mine are black, plastic bits. Same deal as yours though. I haven't a clue what they could be for! Surely someone has to know...
dunno.gif


car001.jpg
 
How bizarre. I've never seen these before and now there are two cars with them installed! So next obvious question... what does the underside look like? Someone crawl in that trunk and find out!
 
I'll venture a guess - could they be plugs that cover mounting holes for a hardtop?
 
I'm crawling in the trunk...be right back. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
Okay. The bottoms of these bits aren't visible from the trunk. They sit forward of the back wall in the trunk. I checked from the cockpit, and since my top is down, I couldn't get a good view, but they seem to be shaped the same on the bottom side, and only stick down about 1/4-3/8" or so. Mine was covered with something (duct tape perhaps?) and I wasn't going to put the top up to get a better look.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'll venture a guess - could they be plugs that cover mounting holes for a hardtop?

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless they are for an oem hardtop, I don't think so, since Nunyas has his hard top on right now.
 
Back
Top