Re: [T3] locked glove box

["Richard Steinburg" <wagen@mts.net>]

What you need is a lock pick.  Try using a strong thin and flat piece of
metal (like the kind used for the clips on pen caps), put it in the keyhole
where the bottom of the key would go. Then turn the lock cylinder clockwise
and hold it so there is always torque. Next, with the torque still on, use
another piece of metal (maybe an extended paper clip? should be relatively
strong) and use it to probe the area of the lock where the top of the key
would go.

The lock is really just two cylinders, one inside the other, they have sets
of little metal tabs that go through both cylinders at the top. The inside
cylinder would normally turn, except when one of the tabs is placed in
between where the cylinders meet (ie the mating surfaces). The simplest lock
would only have one set of tabs, these tabs would be placed so that one is
on top of the other. When the lock doesn't have a key in it, a spring pushes
the tabs so that they stop the inside cylinder from turning. What you have
to do is put torque on the inside cylinder and use a pick to move the tabs
up so that the place were the two tabs meet lines up with the place where
the two cylinders meet.

The glove box probably only has three sets of tabs at the most. Start by
using the pick at the back of the lock cylinder and move forward. When a set
of tabs alligns you can feel the cylinder click and allow you to turn the
inside cylinder just a bit. Once you have all of the tabs alligned, the lock
should turn.

Good luck!
-Rich

---


-- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Doughney" <ben_d@clear.net.nz>
To: <type3@vwtype3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: [T3] locked glove box


> on 25/7/2002 9:59 AM, jason m. land at jmland@team-mango.org wrote:
>
> > i've tried jimmying it with a screwdriver and other similar objects, but
> > no luck.  i'd hate to destroy the glove box by ripping it open from the
> > underside, and also don't want to fork out the dough for a locksmith.
> >
> > any clever fixes out there?
> How about inserting a strip of thin sheet metal (like a piece of a tin can
> or something) in between the glovebox door and dashboard then sliding that
> towards the lock. When you hit the lock catch, you might be able to slide
> the metal strip on an angle towards the rear of the car to undo the door,
> because the catch has an angle on it.
>
> HTH,
> Ben Doughney
>
> '75 1200L
> '63 1200 - Ringo
> '71 1600TL
>
> http://members.tripod.com/~superkafer/
>
>
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