Door lock replacement cylinders needed?

[kingsgate]

Hi

I cannot operate either driver or passenger door lock on my 1953 Kaiser Deluxe.

When I bought the car, I got 3 different keys. One fits the ignition, another is for the trunk, the other (I think) the locking fuel filler cap.

None of the keys I have will lock or unlock the front doors.

I am thinking that the best solution would be to buy replacement lock cylinders with new keys, unless anyone has a different idea?

Right now, this is a problem because I cannot lock my car up!

Does anyone know if new lock cylinders for these locks can be bought anywhere please?

I am in London, England.

But keys and lock barrels are small, so are going to be pretty cheap to mail over from the USA I hope......

[Terry T]

I HAVE SEVERAL CYLINDERS AND KEYS, BUT DO NOT KNOW USAGE.
IF SOMEONE CAN POST PICS OF CORRECT ONES, I MAY BE ABLE TO HELP.

[joefrazer]

The lock cylinder used on your car was used on all 1951-55 full size Kaisers so replacements are not difficult to find. Here's a set on ebay right now. The ignition lock won't work for your car but the door cylinders will.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1951-Kaiser-Door-locks-ignition-lock-glove-latch-with-keys-ORIGINAL-NOS-Frazier-/201201987255?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ed892aeb7&vxp=mtr

The door cylinders on 51-5 cars tended to seize so you might try removing them (one screw in the door jamb releases them) and lubricating each. Sometimes you can free them up.

[dpledger]

The "combination" of '53 lock cylinders can be easily changed. There are 5 little brass tabs of varying lengths that determine what key will fit. They are marked with a number that ells which they are- seem to recall it's 1 to 5 by not sure. If one has a few extra cylinders one can always find enough of the right tabs to fit any key one happens to have. At one point when I had a '53 Manhattan and a '54 early special I changed the locks so that the same key fit everything in both cars- very convenient. If you have 3 different cylinders you might well be able to fit a key to two or even 3 by switching things around.

Cylinders rarely fail- generally something is sticking. An app of WD will generally free things up. It is possible the spring is broken I suppose.

[kingsgate]

I will try with the WD40 and see if this helps, thanks for the tips and hints!

[kingsgate]

I ordered a set of 1952 keys, hopefully will solve all my lock-related problems!

[dusty]

kingsgate, The locks are held in place by a sloted head screw behind the weatherstrip thru a hole, Pull the door lock assembly out place in a soup can with Auto Trans fluid lie it set for a couple days and try working the lock back and forth with the IGNITION KEY only .The brass tab tumblers are held in place with very small springs and dissimular metals corrode. trans fluid is a detergent and should clear the cylinder. less expensive than a locksmith  that will do the same thing.