cheri
Active Member
Posts: 163
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1967 Vanbrook Trunkback
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Post by cheri on Jul 16, 2014 2:07:15 GMT -8
Hi Everyone,
My trailer did not come with an entrance key. The PO had a lock screwed to the outside of the trailer, but it was on crocked and obviously didn't work from inside.
I took the lock to a locksmith, but he said it was worn out and he couldn't make a new key. The replacement is around $200 and is just not in my budget right now. This is not a restoration, more like a renovation, so any reasonable alternative would be fine. Has anyone found a replacement that will fit in the same square hole as the old Bargeman L100? My first rule is do no harm, so I'd like to find something that will work but could be replaced with a more authentic lock if I find a cheap one.
Thanks, Cheri
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John Palmer
Senior Member
Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
Posts: 1,629
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Post by John Palmer on Jul 16, 2014 9:00:15 GMT -8
The original door locks were "a high wear item", if the trailer was ever used very much. Ad in all of the wrong keys that have been "forced into" the key way over the last sixty years and it's surprising any of them still work.
With the high demand for the few remaining good locks, the prices will only continue to increase. The cost of re-chroming a old lock that might still work, but is pitted is in the "hundreds of dollars" and prohibitive due to all the EPA laws.
I would predict that you will see more reproduction vintage lock assemblies in the future. But.....the days of a cheap replacement lock are likely gone. If you can find a correct replacement for "only $200" you should snap it up, IMO. Good hardware, and windows, is one of the "most important" things I look at when considering which trailer to buy for a restoration. It's all the little things that run up the cost to restore.
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