I think it was Clint Eastwood that said in one of his movies "Every man has got to know his limitations." I am a firm believer in that. I don't do locks!

Neither of the door locks on my '67 442 operate. It is not the key cylinders - but the locking hardware. Is it repairable? Is it replaceable as an entire unit? (I am capable of replacing parts.)

 

The first thing to do is to remove the inside door panel to get at the mechanism.

Certainly it's repairable, but first we have to know exactly what's wrong. When you say the locks don't "operate", what do you mean, specifically? Does the little plunger go up and down but have no effect? Or doesn't it move at all? Are the symptoms the same on both doors? It's unusual to have both locks fail the same way at the same time, but hey. Have the locks always been this way, or did they just start acting up yesterday?

Removing the panel will allow you to get at the mechanism and see exactly what's wrong. Something could be disconnected. Something could be rusted or broken. You won't know until you look.

 

jaunty75, thanks for the speedy reply.

I have looked at the drivers side. The little bracket attached to the lock mechinism moves up and down when the key is used, but it does not seem to go far enough to unlock the door. If I use the lock pull on the door panel it doesn't seem to come up far enough. If I keep pushing down and pulling up repeatedly, after a while it comes up further and the door will unlock. I have sprayed the mechanism with adequate amounts of lubricant with no improvement.

 

This suggests to me that the problem is simply age. If working it back and forth enough times eventually gets it to work, it seems it just needs to be properly lubricated.

My guess is that whatever you're spraying it with won't be enough. WD-40 and the like are fine for freeing up something stuck, but they're not meant as a long-term lubricant. You need a proper lock mechanism grease.

Something like this, which you can get at any auto parts store:

 

OK, I will give that a try. Thanks.

 

Good luck.

The other thing to remember is that, once you get those locks working, USE them. Nothing keeps a mechanical device in good working order better than continual use, and nothing causes more problems with a mechanical device than going long periods of time between uses.

 

NAPA (and others, I'm sure) sell the white lithium grease in a spray can. I find this more useful for spraying the lock mechanism inside the door, as the tube only applies grease where you put it. The grease really needs to get into the guts of the mechanism.

 

Thanks guys. Car show cancelled today due to rain. Maybe this will be todays project.

 

These lock/latch mechanisms get all fouled up over the years. I have had great luck with removing them soaking them in a carburetor vat overnight and then going ape-**** with the spray can lithium grease. Good as new! The screws to remove them can be VERY tight though so use the proper #4 Phillips head and ratchet or an impact driver to remove. If you don't wish to take them out to do this some gunk or other engine cleanse may give you similar results. Good luck.