Mk3 Door Lock Fix
By Martin Newby
I put this article together because the car that I bought
had old and worn out locks. I had keys for the car but none fitted the door
locks. None of the half dozen or so spare keys that I had fitted the door locks
either.
While browsing for parts on the internet, by chance I
came across an MGB door lock set from Holden Vintage and Classic in the UK (www.holden.co.uk). Its OK Ford lovers, they
have no connection with the “wrong brand of car” found all too often in
Australia.
They looked pretty similar to the Mk3 door locks in the
body so I decided to buy a set to investigate. Picture below shows the MGB and
Mk3 locks.
Turns out you can remove the end fittings off of the Mk3
lock and the MGB lock and what you are left with are two door lock barrels that
are virtually identical. Fit the Mk3 end fittings into the MGB lock and you
then have new door locks and keys.
Note that the MGB lock set was supposed to have a nut
that secured the lock to the door instead of that dreaded spring clip. The
spring clip on the MGB lock is a little broader and may need to be filed back
on the end of the spring arms to get it to fit. Alternatively you can buy the
“nutfix” MGB locks that are available from Moss-Europe (www.moss-europe.com). I think I may still invest in a set
because I have heard that it can be difficult to fit the spring clip type if the
panel is a little thicker from paint build-up etc around the lock hole area.
In
the photo on the right above you need to remove the spring steel retaining
washer off the end of the small square rod on the Mk3 lock. Everything else can
then be removed from the square rod. Things may be a little tight on the square
rod but they will come off with penetrant and a bit of patience.
The
photo below shows the parts removed in succession off of the small rod. The
next job is to remove the little pin that holds that small square rod into the
body of the door lock. All you need to do is grab a pair of long nose pliers
and pull it out (if you’re lucky). When you realise this pin has been in here
for 45 years and the little sucker doesn’t want to come out, you need to be a
little sterner with it.
Hold
the little square rod horizontally in the jaws of a vice. Grab the little pin
with your long nose pliers and lock the end of the long nose pliers with a pair
of vice grip pliers. Make sure the lock body is free to move around on the end
of the square rod (this will allow you to rotate and wriggle the small pin
until it comes out). Be careful and don’t break it.
You can see how I grabbed this
small pin below
Remove
the spring clip from the MGB lock and pull the small pin out that you will see
under this clip (this pin is new and it comes out easily). You can then
reinstall the Mk3 small square rod and all the bits that go on it to the new
MGB lock
Above
you can see the parts ready to be assembled to the MGB lock. I didn’t put it
together as I plan to use the “Nutfix” MGB locks
Above
you can see the Mk3 Lock barrel. This will fit into the MGB lock body so you
can keep your Mk3 keys if you wish and you have new lock bodies to go with your
resto job (not original but it would need a keen eye to pick it!
Hope
this is of use to someone
Disclaimer:
The advice and guidelines given in these articles are given in good faith.
The owners and managers of the Galeforce Zephyr site will take no responsibility
for any injuries or loss sustained while carrying out the described tasks
and procedures or any consequences arising. Please read the Safety First
Article
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