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trunk lock question

T

Tinster

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I have no keys to my trunk lock or glove box lock.
Pedro said he'd look for them but they are lost.

I have a locksmith around the corner from home.
Is it possible to have the lock innards taken out
by the locksmith and new innards installed?

I carry well over $1,000. in spare parts and tools
in my unlocked trunk for breakdowns. Spooks me I cannot
lock the trunk.

regards,

d
 
If the lock is in good order, the locksmith should be able to cut a key to fit the existing lock, if he has a blank. You may just need to purchase a blank key.... cheaper than a tumbler or new lock.

Cheers,

Rob
 
I forget exactly how the trunk lock is set up on a TR6, but odds are that -- somewhere on it -- you'll find a three-digit number. Other early TR6 owners should be able to tell you which series of key (FS, FT, other...) the lock takes, and the number code should allow your locksmith to cut a proper blank.

I also seem to recall that the trunk lock and glovebox lock match (and that you also might find a code on the glovebox lock).
 
I don't know what a locksmith in PR charges but a lock set is about $120 dollars and replaces all of the locks and one key fits everything.
 
Bill said:
I don't know what a locksmith in PR charges but a lock set is about $120 dollars and replaces all of the locks and one key fits everything.

Yes indeed: I bought a door/glovebox/trunk lock set from Moss (for quite a bit less than $120, btw): replacing the door and glovebox locks is a doddle of course, and I was able to quite easily replace the tumbler in the trunk lock, which was a satisfying job.
 
I took my lock in to a lock smith and he made me two keys that fit it. The cost was under $10 or $20. That was for a TR3 and he even had the blanks in stock.
 
Bill said:
I don't know what a locksmith in PR charges but a lock set is about $120 dollars and replaces all of the locks and one key fits everything.

My local locksmith could not help me with the trunk lock.

$120 for all, huh?

Might end up being worthless junk like the two brand new
ignition switches with key locks I paid just just about
$150. delivered. Both fell apart immediately. Long story
short- I installed a $9.00 Western Auto ignition switch.
$150 down the drain.

I'll pass on attempting to buy any more TR6 locks from the
Big Three!! I keep checking E-bay.

thanks,

d
 
Tinster said:
My local locksmith could not help me with the trunk lock.
Seems to be getting more common these days. My local locksmith didn't have ignition blanks for the Stag either.

However, there are some people left who stock these old blanks, and can cut keys to code. Pete Groh is one,
https://britishcarkeys.com/
and another is George Richardson
https://www.key-men.com/

Or another approach is to buy the blank, either from the Big 3 or on eBay; and have your local locksmith cut it for you. Mine had no qualms about cutting my blank (tho he didn't give me a discount for providing my own material) once he found that he didn't have one.

Or, what I mostly do now, is to buy the blank then disassemble the lock and cut the key to fit. A bit tedious, but effective.
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif...which is why I'm still hoping that a: Dale can find a lock number on one of the locks; and b: other TR6 owners -- at least those with original locks and keys -- can volunteer information as to exactly what blank it's likely to be! C'mon, gang, look on your fobs! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif
 
I've modified the five "pin" locks on the MG and both Lotus cars to all work with ONE key. Iggy, doors, glovebox & boots. Any good LockShop should have a good "pin" assortment to hand. The iggy switch is the only tricky one. Disassembly of that one needs the original key to make the job neat. These old locks are the ones wot "keep the honest folk out". Not very secure, IMO.
 
I believe that, at least on most Triumphs, there are two different blanks used. So you would also have to change some of the cylinders to get them all keyed alike. On the Stag, it's one shorter, single-sided blank for the glovebox and boot, and a much longer, double-sided blank for the ignition and fuel cap. Don't recall offhand which blank fits the doors, but I think it was the ignition blank.

Locks are pretty much always just to keep honest people honest. I watched a locksmithing video the other day showing how to pick most kinds of locks (including the "high security" and "pick proof" padlocks). It was downright scary how fast that guy could pick those locks ... just about as fast as I could open them with a key.
 
Yeah, Randall, you're right. After 1968 they went to a two key setup. Double-sided, longer (more pins) key for the iggy and p'raps the gas-cap.
 
My 59 TR3A also originally had two different blanks. Nearly identical and by now the locks are so worn that probably either blank would go in, but the ward pattern was originally different. ISTR one was "FS" and the other "FP". One had a round head, the other rectangular (in the original Wilmot Breedon pattern) but I don't recall which is which.

If you zoom in on the center key at
https://www.key-men.com/cars/triumph.html
and compare it to the one just to the right, perhaps you can see what I mean. The center key has only one notch that runs the length of the key, while the one on the right has two notches (and they are a different shape).
 
Dale,

If you have the lock numbers Motor Head can cut them and has the blanks. I work next to them and can stop by for you and than mail them to you.

Phil
 
I am being totally brain dead here.

If I do not have a key to begin with; what good does
it do me to purchase blanks?

I have a trunk lock and no key.

d
 
With a blank, you can either take the lock and blank to a local locksmith (anyone claiming to be a locksmith as opposed to a simple key copier should have no trouble cutting the key to match the lock); or do it yourself.

To do it yourself, you remove the cylinder from the lock, insert the blank in the cylinder, and cut just a little bit from the blank where it makes the pins stick up out of the cylinder. Try it again, cut just a little bit more. Repeat until all the pins are flush with the cylinder; and you now have a key that fits the lock. Smooth the ramps between the pin lands a bit (so it moves in and out easily), then put the lock back together. A small round file will work for cutting the key, but I prefer a (dullish) small cylindrical burr in a Dremel mototool.
 
Tinster said:
I am being totally brain dead here.

If I do not have a key to begin with; what good does
it do me to purchase blanks?

I have a trunk lock and no key.

d
Dale, per my earlier post, that's why I suggested looking to see if there is a three-digit number on either lock. If so, all you then need to determine is which blank you need. Chances are it'll be FS, although FT (double-sided key as I recall) is a possibility.

Is there no one on this Forum with a '69 TR6 and original keys? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
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