Re-Key Lock Cylinder

[lindbhr]

The outside of my door handle lock is damaged on my '78 SC, so I'd like to buy another cylinder and have it re-keyed to match the ignition and other door lock.

Has anyone had this done? Anything special to watch out for?

Thanks,

Hugh

[dvkk]

If your existing key will plug into the replacement cylinder, it can be matched. Take it and the old one to a locksmith. You want to give him the old one too so it can donate wafers for the new one.

[lindbhr]

dvkk,

Thank you very much for your response.

Hugh

[the]

Very easy to rekey yourself.

Put your key into the replacement cylinder. You'll see that some of the wafers will be sticking up. Take those out and move them into other slots where they will fit without "sticking up." If they won't work in any of the other slots, just leave them out. You can also use some of the wafers from you old cylinder. You'll see that the wafers vary in length, you just need to put the right ones in the right places by trial and error. You'll probably have a few wafer "slots" left blank when you are done.

If you do that, it is true that someone with a key that is similar to yours, but not exactly the same, could still open the lock. But (1) when was the last time some stranger with a Porsche key tried to open your lock, and (2) even if he did, while it might work, odds are it won't.

This sounds way more complicated than it really is. When you pull your old cylinder out, and put your key in the replacement cylinder, it will be very obvious what you need to do and how to do it.

[group911@aol.co]

Or just use all the wafers from your old cylinder and put them back in the exact position they were. Takes all the guesswork out.