How to rekey ignition and door locks on 72 D series (and others) (made in USA even)

[mallen]

Freight defense part number 100013 for Kenworth trucks fits. The set contains a ignition cylinder and two door cylinders. The door cylinders are identical to the originals, the ignition cylinder is similar, and close enough to work. It's missing one of two little protrusions on the back, but that does not affect it's operation.

This one shows the original ignition lock cylinder. Notice the extra cylindrical protrusion. It's missing on the middle cylinder above but does not seem to be needed. It looks like you need one or the other but not both.

To replace the door lock cylinders:

Open the door and remove the inner panel. There is a clip on the edge that retains the lock. Remove the clip and slide the lock out.

If you have the key, place the key in the lock. This retracts the tumblers.

With the key in the lock, retract the clip using a sharp pick as shown. Then press on the shaft and the cylinder should slide out of the lock.

If you don't have the key, use the pick to retract the clip.The procedure is the same but as the lock cylinder slides out of the housing, the tumblers may catch. The original cylinder did this bit the new one did not. There is a hole in the side of the lock right before the front bezel. If it catches use the pick to retract the tumblers one by one as you slide the lock out lock from the cylinder.

To reassemble, put the new key in the new cylinder, place the lock cylinder on the shaft and slide it back in. Turn the lock so that the tumblers line up with the notch and remove the key. Your door lock is now rekeyed.

To rekey the ignition lock, use the following procedure.

Place the key in the lock. There is a hole where you put a paperclip or a pick. Turn the lock counter clockwise to the accessory position, you should be able to see clip that holds the cylinder in place. Depress it and slide the cylinder out.

The clip can be seen in the right-hand side of the hole. In the second picture the pick is depressing the clip.

To replace the cylinder put the key in the cylinder. You may need to depress the clip. Then slide the cylinder back into the lock and rotate it until it locks into place.

 

[mallen]

If you don't have the ignition key you will have to pick the lock. It's not as hard as it sounds. In fact, after you do this, your probably going to be astounded how easy it was and totally depressed at how little security the locks on our trucks (and most other locks) provide. You will use a technique called raking. The way this works is that you apply a torque to the lock cylinder. Because no mechanical device is ever perfect, if you put a lock pick in the lock and raise each tumbler above the shear line, one of them will catch, and allow the lock to turn slightly, and will stay in place when you remove the pick, so long as you dont release the torque. Then the next and the next until the lock opens. Rather than doing it one at a time, if you take the pick across the tumblers multiple times, after a few times, they will all have moved into position and the lock will turn. Once you have the lock in the accessory position, proceed as before. It is helpful to have a good understanding of how a wafer tumbler lock works. Read the design section of the following link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafer_tumbler_lock

On the subject of Lock picks. Lock picks are legal most places but be aware of you local laws. In the case that's it's illegal, I strongly caution against making a lock pick out of an old feeler gauge with the intent of destroying it when your done to hide the evidence. It's wrong, and could result in stiff fines, jail time and put your immortal soul in danger of an eternity burning in hell. You have been warned.


If you don't want to buy a tool for just one job, you can make a lock pick. An old 0.30-0.50 feeler gauge should work well. Use a Dremel and a file. You can also use a binder clip. Remove one of the two springs. They will break if you bend them in the hardened state. Heat it cherry red in a propane or butane torch or on a gas stove. Straighten it except leave one of the ends bent at a right angle. Let it air cool. Do not cool it in water. (Yet) reheat the bent end and bend it I to the shape shown with a pair of needle nosed pliers. Let it air cool again. Use a file to flatten the last inch and a half or so on the end that is bent. Both sides should be flat. The final thickness should be around 0.040".

It's rather soft now and I found it hard to us to pick a lock without it just bending, so I fixed the heat treatment. Heat it red hot again, then quench it in water. This will make it hard and brittle
Then polish it with a piece of wet 1000 grit sandpaper. Dry it off and carefully heat it to a straw yellow or very pale brown color. If you screw it up, just start over heating cherry red and quenching it. You could also put it in the oven at maybe 500 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes. That might do it as well but I didn't try that.

I originally was going to suggest using the unmodified spring as the torsion tool but it's a difficult to do. It's just too big. So instead, do this. Wrap a 1/4" wide strip of electrical tape around the lock cylinder as shown. Some of these can be easily rekeyed by rearranging or replacing the wafer tumblers. (Some have tumblers that won't come out without destroying the lock though) As such you may want to save that lock cylinder and you won't know which kind it is until you get it out. So the electrical tape keeps you from tearing it up. Gently clamp a pair of locking pliers to the cylinder. Just enough to hold. Now hold the ignition lock in your left hand. Just allow the weight of the pliers to provide the torque you need to apply to the cylinder and manipulate the tumblers with the pick in your right hand. Looking in, you should be able to see all the tumblers engaged. If it does not just turn under the weight of the pliers apply just a bit more torque and it should turn to the accessory position. Now proceed as in the case where you had the key.

 

[mallen]

I just noticed something a bit odd. The original ignition lock cylinder must be turned counter clockwise to the "accessory" position to press the catch to release it. The new cylinder must be turned clockwise so to the "on" position. So it may be the case that any particular ignition switch may be one or the other.

 

[MrKenmore]

Excellent! Great work!

 

[Dana Strong]

If you don't want to buy a tool for just one job, you can make a lock pick. An old 0.30-0.50 feeler gauge should work well. Use a Dremel and a file.

The brushes on street sweepers used to have spring steel "bristles" that were rectangular in cross section and ideally sized for picking. Broken ones could occasionally be seen in the street in residential areas. Most have switched to polymer, I believe.
As a high school/young college aged kid, I used to make custom torque tools of "bent nails" ground to shape (to closely fit specific key holes) with a dremel.

 

[Dana Strong]

Lock picks are legal most places but be aware of you local laws. In the case that's it's illegal, I strongly caution against making a lock pick out of an old feeler gauge with the intent of destroying it when your done to hide the evidence. It's wrong, and could result in stiff fines, jail time and put your immortal soul in danger of an eternity burning in hell.

I disagree. If working on your own locks on your own property, such a law would be a violation of your rights and the act would be no more illegal than using any of various techniques to get back inside your own home after accidentally locking yourself out, including crawling through an unlocked window. .

 

[mallen]

I disagree. If working on your own locks on your own property, such a law would be a violation of your rights and the act would be no more illegal than using any of various techniques to get back inside your own home after accidentally locking yourself out, including crawling through an unlocked window. .

You misread my post. I said that lock picks are legal in most places. I explained how to make a lock pick. For those places where it's illegal, I then made a tongue in cheek recommendation against the obvious solution of making a lock pick, opening the lock and them disposing of the lock pick.
In the United States, it's explicitly legal to have lock picks in most states.
In a handful of states, it's ambiguous enough that should the police drag you out of your car, search it for drugs and weapons and come up empty, except for the obvious home made lock pick stashed in the ash tray, they could possibly decide to charge you with having a burglary tool. In a very few states, it's really ambiguous and depends as much on the police officer that finds it as anything else. (Ask anyone whose been caught with an ordinary folding blade knife in NY City and been charged with possession of a "gravity knife" about how possession of a simple tool for legitimate purposes can't land you in jail because it's a violation of your rights) For some people, this is more likely than it is for others depending on who you are, where you go and what color your skin is. You probably can win the case. You probably won't have to go to jail. And you probably won't get raped in the shower. But you might. And if your poor enough, you might not even have to take a second mortgage on your house to pay for a lawyer. But for those where it might be an issue, they might want to consider just not keeping it around.

Finally, there are people who don't live in the United States. For those people, talk of what can and can't be done and whether or not it violates their freedom may well he moot as their laws may not guarantee them those freedoms. Those people need to be aware of their local laws, and o
if possession of lock picks violate them, they should know the penalties and perhaps consider destroying the picks immediately after use and not use them anywhere they can be seen.

Examples of illegality are Japan that bans them for anyone but professionals and can imprison violators for a year. In Hungary it's downright crazy as they are classified as military equipment.

My point is, know what your local laws say ,and act accordingly.

 

[Dana Strong]

except for the obvious home made lock pick stashed in the ash tray,

Those are carburetor adjusting tools....

Examples of illegality are Japan that bans them for anyone but professionals and can imprison violators for a year. In Hungary it's downright crazy as they are classified as military equipment.

I don't post in Japanese or Hungarian, and can't worry about (or even seriously consider on this site) what goes on there or in Iran or Iraq or even in Canada ...

 

[mallen]

And right there, your headed for a cell. The moment you give the officer a really lame lie, and tell him that a very obvious lock pick is a carburetor adjusting tool, your in trouble. Contrary to popular belief, they are not all idiots and some of them even know about old cars. Your best bet when the pick is found is to tell the truth. That for example, you got the old truck missing the keys and bought new locks. The old cylinders are sitting in the plastic bag the new ones came in. Tell them you made the pick as per the instructions you read on the internet Show him the instructions. If your evasive, or tell transparent lies, it's going to go sideways fast.

It seems like your basing your idea to feed him a transparent lie on the idea that if they can't absolutely PROVE it's a burglary tool, they have to just let you walk away. That's a huge mistake. That might even land you in a cell in a state where it's explicitly legal, because in most states, even a screwdriver or a random strip of sheet metal is a burglary tool in the right context. The cop doesn't need absolute proof, or even proof beyond a reasonable doubt to toss you in a jail cell. He just needs a somewhat plausible scenario to write on the arrest report to support that you committed a crime. Proof comes at trial. In the mean time your going to have to come up with money to hire a lawyer and post bail.

On the subject of other countries, I don't assume the person reading my posts is in the US. There are lots of people on here from other countries.

Those are carburetor adjusting tools....


I don't post in Japanese or Hungarian, and can't worry about (or even seriously consider on this site) what goes on there or in Iran or Iraq or even in Canada ...

 

[Dana Strong]

On the subject of other countries, I don't assume the person reading my posts is in the US. There are lots of people on here from other countries.

There are also a lot of people who, at times, seem to be from another planet...or at least think they are...but I can't worry about that or them either.

 

[kdsmit]

I hope that this makes it to the tech section!!!

 

[bdgn01]

Dumb question—the title says D-series trucks; any idea if this might work on a C-series truck as well?

 

[mallen]

Dumb question—the title says D-series trucks; any idea if this might work on a C-series truck as well?

I don't know. It would not surprise me. Id try to find pictures of the lock cylinders

 

[Dana Strong]

And right there, your headed for a cell. The moment you give the officer a really lame lie, and tell him that a very obvious lock pick is a carburetor adjusting tool, your in trouble. Contrary to popular belief, they are not all idiots and some of them even know about old cars. Your best bet when the pick is found is to tell the truth. That for example, you got the old truck missing the keys and bought new locks. The old cylinders are sitting in the plastic bag the new ones came in. Tell them you made the pick as per the instructions you read on the internet Show him the instructions. If your evasive, or tell transparent lies, it's going to go sideways fast

You'd be surprised how little most people, officials included, know about such things.
Sixty years ago, I was stopped by a Ranger late at night after having been on a closed road leading out of a State park. After checking me out a bit at the head office, and before they let me go, I was told not to make my own keys; instead, to stop at headquarters and borrow an official set. Within a few years, I became the gate keeper for a next door Tree Farm, some of which is now in that park. That was just the beginning of my activities in the area and surroundings.
Nothing is as simple or as cut and dried as you make it to be.

It seems like your basing your idea to feed him a transparent lie on the idea that if they can't absolutely PROVE it's a burglary tool, they have to just let you walk away. That's a huge mistake. That might even land you in a cell in a state where it's explicitly legal, because in most states, even a screwdriver or a random strip of sheet metal is a burglary tool in the right context. The cop doesn't need absolute proof, or even proof beyond a reasonable doubt to toss you in a jail cell. He just needs a somewhat plausible scenario to write on the arrest report to support that you committed a crime. Proof comes at trial. In the mean time your going to have to come up with money to hire a lawyer and post bail.

I actually have used pick tools for adjusting a motorcycle carburetor, and doing other tasks. I have also opened doors and other locks for acquaintances, for a few deputy sheriffs (stolen cars I'd found in the woods) and on a few occasions, on things already impounded by the sheriff's office. As a chemist, it wasn't part of my duties but my lunch time was mine if someone else needed help.

Dumb question—the title says D-series trucks; any idea if this might work on a C-series truck as well?

I would expect the cylinders and procedures to be the same. Not sure if different key blanks were ever used but unlikely, and even if so, with all new keys it doesn't matter much.

 

[bdgn01]

I don't know. It would not surprise me. Id try to find pictures of the lock cylinders

I took a chance and used the link to order a set of cylinders myself—thanks for the information. I do have a question for you. For reference, I'm working with door locks from a 1963 C-series Travelall. I pulled the original cylinders out of the barrels and compared them to the new ones. They look almost exactly the same, so I can confirm this set of locks is correct (see the pictures below—the original cylinder is on top and the new one on the bottom). The cylinders slide into the barrels perfectly, and the key spins as designed.

But when I spin it counterclockwise all the way, pulling on the key pulls the entire cylinder out of the barrel. Because I never had door or ignition keys for the original truck, I can't confirm if this is supposed to happen or not. I tried a test fitting in the truck, figuring that maybe mechanical interference in the door lock preventing it from going past 90˚ to the left would keep the cylinder in the lock, but it still popped out—this could also be a result of my door lock not working properly (the inside handle doesn't release, so there's an issue with the mechanism inside the door).

My next step—after it stops pouring rain—is to try out the passenger door, which does work correctly, and see if the cylinder stays in place over there.

My question is—was this your experience with your locks, or did they stay inside the barrels when you turned the key?

 

[mallen]

I took a chance and used the link to order a set of cylinders myself—thanks for the information. I do have a question for you. For reference, I'm working with door locks from a 1963 C-series Travelall. I pulled the original cylinders out of the barrels and compared them to the new ones. They look almost exactly the same, so I can confirm this set of locks is correct (see the pictures below—the original cylinder is on top and the new one on the bottom). The cylinders slide into the barrels perfectly, and the key spins as designed.

But when I spin it counterclockwise all the way, pulling on the key pulls the entire cylinder out of the barrel. Because I never had door or ignition keys for the original truck, I can't confirm if this is supposed to happen or not. I tried a test fitting in the truck, figuring that maybe mechanical interference in the door lock preventing it from going past 90˚ to the left would keep the cylinder in the lock, but it still popped out—this could also be a result of my door lock not working properly (the inside handle doesn't release, so there's an issue with the mechanism inside the door).

View attachment 255621

My next step—after it stops pouring rain—is to try out the passenger door, which does work correctly, and see if the cylinder stays in place over there.

My question is—was this your experience with your locks, or did they stay inside the barrels when you turned the key?

Mine stayed in. Did the original cylinder do this?

 

[wjajr]

I have been out of the locksmith biz for 28 years, however I find many uses for lock picks other than on locks. One use is cleaning toe and finger nails. Another is picking paint or old crud from nooks & crannies to prep for paint, and anything else I damn well please. As long as your picks don't smell like contraband the K-9 won't alert to your hiding place in the truck.

As to the above having the door cylinder release when turning the key that is caused by its locking tab/wafer being in the wrong position to be compatible with the old outer barrel. Remove and replace the whole assembly; barrel & cylinder, don't mix and match. The critical dimension with an IH door lock cylinder is the length and size of the square tail piece. The other fly in the ointment can be getting that long tail piece to line up with the square hole in the latch which may require to removal of the interior door card to guide it into place.

If the "hoop" that secures the lock body to the door skin is rusted, bent, broken or on its last legs, replace it. Several LL dealers sell them. Nothing more aggravating when installing the old hoop (can't think of a better description at the moment) and it rips in two, or is distorted and won't slide back in place.

 

[mallen]

Good information to know. It would be helpful if bdgn01 could check the new and old cylinders and see if he can identify the differences and upload pictures so future readers can know which is which. And perhaps we can locate cylinders compatible with the other housin or cone up with a way to make them work.

 

[bdgn01]

Good information to know. It would be helpful if bdgn01 could check the new and old cylinders and see if he can identify the differences and upload pictures so future readers can know which is which. And perhaps we can locate cylinders compatible with the other housin or cone up with a way to make them work.

So the pictures I added above in my reply are the old and the new: the old cylinder is on the top, and the new on the bottom. I'm not a locksmith, but from a mechanical point of view these things are almost exactly the same. the pins on the tip are a hair wider than the stock unit, but all of the ridges along the backside of the cylinder are the same to my eye. The other picture I uploaded is the new cylinder in the old barrel/tailpiece assembly @wjajr mentioned above—and I did a test fitting of this assembly in my driver's door which worked fine. (except for the cylinder falling out).

Mine stayed in. Did the original cylinder do this?

I can't tell because I never had keys for either truck. So I could never get the cylinder to spin in the barrel.

 

[mallen]

Re

So the pictures I added above in my reply are the old and the new: the old cylinder is on the top, and the new on the bottom. I'm not a locksmith, but from a mechanical point of view these things are almost exactly the same. the pins on the tip are a hair wider than the stock unit, but all of the ridges along the backside of the cylinder are the same to my eye. The other picture I uploaded is the new cylinder in the old barrel/tailpiece assembly @wjajr mentioned above—and I did a test fitting of this assembly in my driver's door which worked fine. (except for the cylinder falling out).


I can't tell because I never had keys for either truck. So I could never get the cylinder to spin in the barrel.

Put the new key in the old cylinder. Then grind or file the wafer tumblers flush. Then the new key can turn the old cylinder.