Rekeying the Hood Release (photos)

[Seven-Seven]

Because the rekeying of my glovebox last week went so swimmingly ( Rekeying the Glove Box (photos) ) I decided to press my luck and make a go at rekeying the hood release handle so that MAYBE --for the first time in I don't know how long-- all of the locks on the car might be opened with a single key. (WHAT a concept!)

There are many helpful posts on this BBS complete with step-by-step instructions for removing the hood release handle. (Thanks guys!) The only difference between this post and those is the visual aid. (well.....that and my loquacious tendencies)

The one thing that I heard LOUD & CLEAR in all of the previous posts was "don't close the hood while the release cable disengaged, or else!" so I placed the hood release latch in the closed position before doing anything else.


^Here are the two setscrews that secure the release cable at the latch. You can back these out without fear of anything recoiling or zippin' away.



^With the screws and associated hardware removed, the cable is free to slip out and away as needed.



^In order to pull the handle (and cable) out of their tubular home, you need to remove this screw. It's not easy to get at (as with most little parts on this car) and I found that using one of those "thumb screwdrivers" worked best in the tight space.



^With the screw removed, the handle can slide out partially or all the way depending upon your needs/plans. I pulled the whole enchilada out because I intended to check the cable's integrity and paint the handle.



^Gaining access to the lock cylinder is as simple as removing the tiny little screw that's only revealed after the handle is pulled from the tube. That set screw is picture here in the middle of the frame along side the chrome tongue of the lock. You've heard it before but I'll say it again; Have your key in the cylinder as you extract it from the handle, otherwise wafers and springs can be ejected.

My handle has seen better days, and the components inside were junked up with grease and grit. I subjected everything to a sonic bath of Simple Green, a hot water rinse, and various polishes and lubricants. I also squeezed in a fast, satin black paint job for the handle.



^Here's a (bad) shot of the 10 wafers from my cylinder. Although you can't see it, each wafer has a numeric ID stamp that identifies one "size" from another. (i.e. High point on the key = Wafer #1, Low point on the key = Wafer #4) My cylinder used a combination of wafer numbers 1, 3 and 4.



^Here's a close-up of the lock cylinder. I got lucky (again) because repining the cylinder to match my master key was as simple as shuffling around the existing wafers. (I'm not sure what I would have done had that not been the case because the P-car dealer and locksmiths I've called don't carry the wafers.) Once I remapped the wafer sequence successfully, I spent time honing the fit of the lock cylinder in the handle so that the rotation was as smooth as butter. No more sticky, stubborn hassles trying to lock up my Targa top. (life's simple pleasures!)

Warning: The tiny little springs that give tension to the wafers are NOT fixed in the microscopic silos they live in, so they can --and will-- jump out and into the deepest darkest corners of your operating room. Also - Removing the wafers, or re-inserting them, can easily damage the delicate springs if not done carefully, so finesse the wafers in and out if they hang up.

Reassembly is fast and simple. In my case, the 30-minutes I invested in the work (not counting the paint drying time) was SO well worth the effort. In addition to having a lock that's keyed correctly, the cylinder rotation is smooth as silk, and popping the hood release takes less than half the effort once required.

[FranksPlace2]

Thank you, Carlton, for the clear explanation. I had the same problem as you. When I got my car, the only key that worked was the ignition!

This is next on my list!

Frank

[safe]

This was a really simple job with this guide! Deserves a bump!

[Paulporsche]

Was this an option on 77s? I don't have a lock on mine.

[safe]

Originally Posted by Paulporsche

Was this an option on 77s? I don't have a lock on mine.

Never thought about that.
I might be because its a targa? The original poster (Seven-Seven) has a targa too.

[rs-vic]

I don't have a key for mine. Can the lock cylinder still be removed?

[Harpo]

Pretty sure there is a small set screw that holds the lock cylinder in the "T" handle

[cpa]

The lock for the Frunk is only on the Targa. We need some way to secure our valuables.

[rs-vic]

I have everything apart and the tiny grub screw removed but the lock cylinder won't come out. I'm asking if you need a proper key inserted for the cylinder to come out. Door handles you don't need a key. Maybe mine is just jammed

[Funracer]

Originally Posted by cpa

The lock for the Frunk is only on the Targa. We need some way to secure our valuables.

And the Cabriolet. My 83 vert has the keyed lock in the frunk release handle also.

[Arne2]

Was available as an option on coupes. My '84 coupe had one.

[rs-vic]

I got it out. You do not need a key to remove the lock cylinder. Mine was just gunked up. I soaked it with penetrating oil overnight and a good tug on it this morning got it out

[bkreigsr]

FWIW, only one of the original keys was supposed to lock/unlock the trunk release.
The valet key is just supposed to work on the door and ignition; not the trunk or glove box.
The 'master' key was black, the 'valet' key was the red one.

Bill K

[Koizumi]

Originally Posted by cpa

The lock for the Frunk is only on the Targa. We need some way to secure our valuables.

I’m glad my coupe came with the lock. I use it often. If I didn’t have one with my coupe, I woulda installed one.

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by cpa

The lock for the Frunk is only on the Targa. We need some way to secure our valuables.

My '71 914 came with the lock - maybe the removable roof brought it into the Targa category?
Bill K

[Classic 911]

Thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GH85Carrera]

My 85 3.2 has the lock for the trunk.

I recently had to replace my key as the one I had carried for the last 28 years was worn so much it would not work on the glove compartment or the trunk and it was difficult to use on the passenger door.

I dug out my original key, and it worked fine on all the locks. So I had a new one cut from my old master original key.

From what I learned, it was an option on coupes through the SC, and maybe standard on 3.2 Carreras.