Key in door handle lock cylinder

Al Mack

Member
I've never had a door handle with a locking cylinder that worked in my 1931 Pickup passenger-side door. I ran across a handle with the cylinder and a key but haven't installed the door handle yet.

The key only turns from vertical to the left to about the 11:00 position . . . and to the right to about the 2:00 position. Is this correct or is something preventing the key to turn more one way or the other? Thanks.
 

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the key should turn to 6:00 to unlock and back to 12:00 to lock. you should be able to remove the key in both positions. that looks to be a 30 handle .if so the key number should on the shaft.
 
Hope you have better luck than me. I still am trying to get the door handles off my 31 Tudor. I have tried everything I was told to do and still no luck. I keep trying every few days.
 
A while ago, I found a handle that looked OK but had no key. The number was stamped on the side of the square shaft so I asked a friend in Arizona if he could help. A while later, he sent me 2 keys and 2 blanks. The locksmith couldn't be sure the new keys would work so he sent a couple of spare blanks. I still have them because both of the keys work.
The moral of that story is, find a decent locksmith - he is likely able to help get that lock working properly. It probably only needs a cleanout or an adjustment to the engagement of the pocking pawl.
 
I had a similar problem. The door lock on my 1931 sedan slowly got harder and harder to turn, to the point that I thought that I would break the key off. On the October 1930 on style handles, the lock cylinder is removable. I removed the lock cylinder and then figured out how to remove the pot metal piece below it. The lower piece has a metal spring piece that has to be pulled in to allow it to be removed. Once I had it out, I used some fine sand paper on the outside and cleaned the inside of the handle. Now it works like it did originally. Pot metal tends to expand a little over time.
 
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