80 Corvette Door Locks
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 783
Likes: 38
From: Mankato Mn
80 Corvette Door Locks
Why are my door locks hard to move ? The electric ones do not work but I don't really care about that. The problem is I need a needle nose to move the manual *****. Did they move freely from the factory ?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,339
Likes: 546
From: Central Texas
Lubricate all moving parts and the work them. My car sits outside and I have to frequently do this. You may even take the door panel off to get to things.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
With power locks, the switches and actuators do all the work. The actual lock ***** in the armrests are a fail safe. You can expect a little resistance, but not to the point where you have to use a pair of pliers.
I agree with Street Rat. Sounds like time for cleaning and lubing.
I agree with Street Rat. Sounds like time for cleaning and lubing.
Last edited by Easy Mike; Feb 24, 2016 at 02:46 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,754
From: Charlotte NC
The reason you are having such a hard time is due to crap being inside the door lock actuator....and that will not change unless they are disconnected or replaced...or removed.
I have tried applying an oil to free up the tension in the door lock actuator...but that seems to be a pointless waste of time because the rubber boot that is supposed to keep crap out of the moving parts and allowed stuff to get into it and that is where the problem lies.
AND...for what this is worth. If a person is going to replace the door lock actuators....KEEP IN MIND that even if they are NEW....they can be CRAP. A Corvette is fiberglass/SMC and IF when you get a NEW actuator...and you manually grab the shaft of the actuator and it is hard to move...then what do you think is going to happen when you try to UNLOCK your door with the KEY. The actuators I use you can grab the shaft and it take NO EFFORT to move it in and out...so when I install it and try the door key...I an NOT fearing that I will either BREAK the key off in the lock cylinder....or actually SPIN the lock cylinder in the door.
DUB
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,365
Likes: 428
From: Cape Girardeau Missouri
The lock mechanisms in my '79 were so stiff that essentially nothing worked no matter how hard you tried.
The problem was SEVERE need of cleaning and lubrication. Yes, you must remove the door panels to do this but it's an easy job. Essentially you remove and clean every piece then lubricate with white lithium grease.
After doing this to mine everything moves freely and the original door lock actuators work perfectly. The actuators were the only things that weren't gummed up. I did however replace the rubber boots around the actuator shafts as they were in tatters. While not exactly the same, the rubber boots used on our headlamp operators work fine.
The problem was SEVERE need of cleaning and lubrication. Yes, you must remove the door panels to do this but it's an easy job. Essentially you remove and clean every piece then lubricate with white lithium grease.
After doing this to mine everything moves freely and the original door lock actuators work perfectly. The actuators were the only things that weren't gummed up. I did however replace the rubber boots around the actuator shafts as they were in tatters. While not exactly the same, the rubber boots used on our headlamp operators work fine.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,754
From: Charlotte NC
The lock mechanisms in my '79 were so stiff that essentially nothing worked no matter how hard you tried.
The problem was SEVERE need of cleaning and lubrication. Yes, you must remove the door panels to do this but it's an easy job. Essentially you remove and clean every piece then lubricate with white lithium grease.
After doing this to mine everything moves freely and the original door lock actuators work perfectly. The actuators were the only things that weren't gummed up. I did however replace the rubber boots around the actuator shafts as they were in tatters. While not exactly the same, the rubber boots used on our headlamp operators work fine.
The problem was SEVERE need of cleaning and lubrication. Yes, you must remove the door panels to do this but it's an easy job. Essentially you remove and clean every piece then lubricate with white lithium grease.
After doing this to mine everything moves freely and the original door lock actuators work perfectly. The actuators were the only things that weren't gummed up. I did however replace the rubber boots around the actuator shafts as they were in tatters. While not exactly the same, the rubber boots used on our headlamp operators work fine.
Because I do this for a living...taking the time to try to lubricate the actuators...which I have tried just for fun...is almost a 'hit or miss' scenario.....so I just put new ones in and move on.
BUT I do lubricate all related parts inside the door when I am there.
DUB
Last edited by DUB; Feb 25, 2016 at 07:21 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
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