I re-keyed my locks, You can too!

Howdy folks,

Just wanted to share my minor victory today. When I got George (1970 Bay Window Bus) he came with one key for the driver's door, one for the sliding door, one for the ignition, and none for the passenger door or rear deck. After reading Dave Hall's article on some web site (sorry, forgot where) and seeing the recent posting

Idecided to tear the locks out and re-key them. Fortunately I had three spare handles that I disassembled first and removed all of the tumblers and springs and cleaned everything. Then, using these parts I built two cylinders to fit the sliding door key. Today I replaced the driver's and passenger's locks with my rebuilds and they actually work! It was suprisingly easy and makes life so much simpler.

Don't be afraid to try it yourself, just try not to lose the little springs (I lost one). Also, do not over-tighten the set screw that holds the lock cylinder in place on some handles. Doing so will prevent the cylinder from turning and you'll think you keyed it wrong ;-) I have heard that the deck lid lock is different so I haven't tried to pull it yet. I'll let you know if I do.

Enjoy your air-cooled summer! Mike Rippe

1970 Type II "George"