I'm 95% sure I locked my 1972 Cutlass Supreme keys in the trunk of my same Cutlass. I'll spare the long and very embarrassing story and just give the bullet points below.

• They were my only set of keys (won't make that mistake again).
• I did have keys made for the glove box, but quickly found that my door/trunk locks had to have been changed because they didn't work.
• I have an after market sound system in the trunk that only gives me about a 4" x 2" on either side to barely fit my arm through.

With that being said, what are you suggestions for making this happen? I do know that the trunk key also locked the door correctly. I read some other threads and it seems you can read the key code on a door lock without taking out the lock. Is that correct? If not, is it a pretty simple task to take off the interior door panel and take a lock out? Any other suggestions?



Thanks

 

Pulling the door lock would be the easiest it sounds like. I have taken door panels off several times. I can do it in 15 mins or so. You will need the tool to take off the door handle and window crank. I found it at auto zone about $7. The door lock is held in place by a metal clip. I have taken them out to be rekeyed for my keys, so it should work in reverse. You may need to take the window out also. I had my window out anyway so I don't know if it can be done with the window in.

Larry

 

Is this the tool you are talking about?
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...+crank+remover

If it takes someone whose done it several times about 15 minutes... it should take me no more then an hour then

 

As long as the door and trunk used the same key on your car, you can make a key from the door cylinder. You will have to remove the cylinder from the door. A locksmith or GM dealer can take it apart to read the code. If you were closer I'd do it for free. Removing the cylinder is pretty straight forward once you look inside the door. Use leather work gloves when you pull off the retainer clip or it will hurt. You don't have to remove the window.

 

Its good to hear it doesn't sound too complicated. I'll pick up the door handle and window crank I linked above and hopefully have time to get this done. Sorry you don't live close, I bribe well in beer and BBQ.

 

Good luck - not being familiar with the process it would be great to have a blow by blow description (with photos) of how it is done by someone with a similar experience level. We tend to encounter all the problems the pros avoid by instinct, and so fail to include in their directions. I have seen a panel removed in a few minutes but it was so fast I could not keep track of it all.

 

take a look at the picture , if you can see or reach the bolts holding the striker in place, remove them and trunk will open

good luck

 

I read about that process on other threads and unfortunately with my sound system in the trunk (screwed in via the trunk as well) I definitely can't reach that.

 

I don't believe your door and trunk locks are keyed the same. So that may be an exercise in futility. Have you contacted a lock smith?

1970supremevert has a good suggestion if you can get your seat back off and piece together enough extensions to get to those 2 bolts.

 

My trunk key was the same one that would lock and unlock my doors so I assume that will work. I did contact a lock smith for making my trunk key. Since my soundsystem blocks trunk access, they said the door key duplication could work, but if not its drilling trunk lock out for me.

I do have a "back up" plan I've been trying in free time; squeezing my arm with a pole through the tiny hole with a cell phone attached at the end taking video. My first runs I couldn't find my keys, but then again I couldn't see what I was actually filming. I'll see if I can set up a live streaming session to at least get an idea of where my keys are in the trunk (and hopefully that they are in there).

 

It's true that the door and trunk should have different keys in that year. A previous owner must have changed them. My 71s' door and trunk take the same key. The first thing I do when I buy a car is recode the door and trunk cylinders. Most all my cars are keyed alike, except ignition. Very convenient.

 

I wish I would have known that before I made keys for my glove box. The fact that my trunk key also unlocked the doors would have been a definitely tip off that the trunk would no longer match the glove box.

 

if you slip a trouble light thru the hole first you might be able to see better. if you locate them a coat hanger or magnet (like a super powerful magnet) might be able to pick them up.

if its at all helpful I can take a pic of my 72 supreme lock configuration from the inside later today

 

I just went through this with a broken trunk lock.
If your door is locked, a slim jim will get you in, in oh about 30 seconds.
Remove the back of the rear seat.
Tape a screw driver to a broom handle (broom removed).
Push it though any hole in the metal to the verticle slot that holds the trunk lock lever.
Twist.
It took me about 15 minutes. No need to reach through.

 

Found this pic on another thread, but I assume you mean this hole.


However, the problem with me is the way my sub box in my trunk is set up. It almost takes the entire width (so my openings are are the far edges of my car near the panels) and its wide, so I don't have a straight shot from the openings to the actual latch.

 

I had a collapsable spare, amp, and a variety of crap in the way too.
See the pic in my post. I went in from the far drivers side hole. If you can catch anything, it will open. Keep in mind, it only takes the same force as a key twist.
My thread:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ock-stuck.html

 

Thanks for the picture. Hopefully I'll have a few minutes tonight to double check to see if I can angle a broom to the lock hole. My problem is that I have two 12" subs. I took your picture and used good ol MS Paint to doodle a little bit. If you could see through your frame, the blue box is the sub box. The yellow one is about all the free room I have to fit my arm (and honestly I think I boxed it bigger then it is).

FufWIKS.png

Here is also a view of my trunk back when I still had keys. From the size of the sub box, I doubt I'll be able to reach (and turn) the trunk latch.
SMrBEme.png

I want to thank you all for your help. I'm going to take this information and do some tries at finding the keys in there before

 

OK, that is a squeeze. I suppose your sub is bolted down and cant be slid over too.
The lock was only about $10 (Rock Auto). You could just drill it, replace it. That's probably cheaper than a locksmith.

 

EEK , I like the magnet idea now a lot more, most radio shack store sell strong magnets,
My luck I would attach the phone then it would drop off inside the trunk keep us posted

 

That is the tool I was talking about, sorry to take so long in getting back. Work gets in the way sometimes.

Larry

 

You can get endoscopes with a magnet attachment. I bought one for about $35 and it is a great little tool to have for other household things too. If you want fancy you can get one that has a little remote control to point the camera.

 

Drilling it would be the fastest, but I like a good challenge. Tape a small LED flashlight and a cell phone with facetime/skype on a stick and push it though on one side. Get another phone as a receiver to see what's going on inside real-time and use a coathanger or something to "fish" from the other side.

 

Drill a 2" hole in the wood between the speakers.

Use that for your screwdriver 4 ft long to reach the latch

I have also used 4 ft of extension and a 7/16 socket to remove the lower latch bolts.

But, yeah, fish for your keys with a camera if at all possible first.

 

Attempt #1: Fishing
I tried "fishing" for where the keys were and didn't have any luck. The sub box is just too big and long so its next to impossible for me to actually guide a phone on the other end. Put that on top of the blurriness of the feed and it just wasn't going well. I have enough cuts from trying to squeeze my arm through the back seat frames for a weekend.

Attempt #2:Taking off door panel
Well, this sucked when I quickly remembered that most my tools were in the trunk of my car (just in cases I needed them if my car broke down). The previous owners did an outstanding job redoing everything. So much so, I couldn't find where one of the bolts was for the arm rest and where the other ones were for the door speakers. At least I was able to get my window crank off :-/. I was able to get the left portion unhooked, but not really enough to stick my head in and see my lock. I really didn't want to damage anything. I decided to start piecing it back together. I realized the top near the window popped off about an inch away from the window. I can't seem to get it back hooked. Am I missing something on how it attached? Below is a picture
yr7NRCb.png

Attempt #3: Drill the lock
I'm really to the point and saying, "screw it, I'll just drill the lock out and eventually just have a separate trunk key". With the way my luck has been going, I really don't want to even try this if I risk damaging anything. So my questions are:
1) Is drilling a lock out risky or should I just get a locksmith to do it.
2) When you do drill out a lock, what parts of the lock do you have to replace (trying to figure out my cost or repairing everything). A link on where to find the trunk lock pieces I need would be fantastic.

The combination of my stupidity with getting in this situation in the first place and the way my car is configured for this (not to mention my experience with cars) is really frustrating. Anyone interested in trading a resto mode cutlass supreme for an original cutlass? haha

 

At this point I would suggest to bite the bullet and call a locksmith. Your car is too nice to mess up at this point.

I suggest this because I once tried to drill a trunk lock with out much success. I would only do this if I had the correct instructions or method.

What did work for me was a very big and long crow bar but with sorry cosmetic ramifications. Even though the trunk lock still worked with some..hmmm adjustment. It was ugly and I was young and dumb. Don't do this either.

Since reading this thread I've wondered if a person had a handful of several GM keys, one might work it..,long shot, I know.

 

I would call the locksmith - he may even be able to pick the lock. If it get ugly I would go back to the door - those panels do come off.

 

Hope I'm not too late. Just stumbled across this thread.

It is a bit of work but I'm pretty sure you can get the trunk lock cylinder out by dropping the rear bumper a little to access the clip that holds the lock cylinder in place. Once you remove the lock cylinder, just take a long thin piece of metal and stick in through the hole left by the lock cylinder and you can open the latch just as if you had the key. A little work but nothing gets damaged and it's free.

You don't have to remove the rear bumper, just loosen the bolts so it drops down enough to get at the clip. The clip might have a phillips head screw holding it on.

I've found, in the junk yard, an oil dip stick works great for popping trunk latches where the trunk lock cylinder has already been removed.

 

Take a decent size flat head, hammer it into the lock and twist. Worked for me many times...... I mean that one time when my speakers got locked in the neighbors trunk.....I mean when my keys got locked in the trunk.

 

A locksmith can get this open. These locks are not hard to pick.

Call a locksmith - it'll be cheaper than breaking, drilling, prying or otherwise busting up the car.

- Eric

 

I just wanted to give you guys an update. I called a locksmith to get my keys. He didn't drill the pins out, but drilled next to them to be able to pop the latch open. After opening the trunk he was able to put a new cap on the lock. Keys still work and you can't even tell anything was done to the lock. And yes, my keys were in fact in the trunk.

I'm off to go get some duplicates made!

 

I'm off to go get some duplicates made![/QUOTE]


Then put them somewhere safe to be forgotten when they are needed.

Glad you have your keys.

Larry

 

Great !

 

When you started this thread I only had 1 set of keys. Chances that I would inadvertently duplicate your scenario, I went to the hardware store and $3 later walked out with another set of keys. Thanks for the motivation!

Glad it worked out with the lock smith, what did they charge ya?

 

We found this spare set of keys twist-tied to the radiator of our '72 Cutlass Supreme. They look and feel pretty vintage, so I haven't tried to use them. I'm afraid they'll break! Pretty cool thing to have, though. Makes me wonder who put them there...

 

Anybody else remember those old magnetic hide-a-key boxes from back in the day now?

 

Oh yes, still use it in my 72 Cutlass S, saved me twice.