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The door lock was pretty much destroyed, so I found in what extra items I had left over, a handle from a sedan (convertible door handle stems are shorter) with a good lock in it. I took it to a locksmith and asked that he remove it and make a set of keys for it.

He made the keys, but when I asked him why de didn't remove the lock, so I can install it in the good, rechromed handle, he said he didn't have to. His partner twisted on it for 10 minutes or so and I had to get back to work. What he did was $40 as it was.

Locksmiths are supposed to know this stuff and he and his dad have been in business for over 30 years. Kind of disappointing. So I took it home and searched online and could find very little specific info on how to get the cylinder out that was for a 40s car.

Mainly
1. Put the key in.
2. Stick a straightened paperclip down the little hole on the face of the lock.
3. Turn the key counter clockwise as you poke down there ...trying to push down on the spring.

I am mechanically deprived, so even with the old lock out in pieces, as you can see in the picture, I could not figure out exactly what I'm trying to do.

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I think you are asking what needs to release for the cylinder to come out? If so, does the cylinder look like this and where are you inserting the paperclip?

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The answer is Yes. That's what I'm trying to do. My old one practically fell out. How did you get yours out?

I lightened the picture. If you double or right click on it, it's gets a little larger. I'm assuming the cylinder inside the handle with key in it is identical to the one I pulled out of my thrashed door handle (the one that has been re-chromed to the left with its teardrop bezel).

There's a small round hole on the face of the lock at the rim alongside the slot for the key. I'm sticking the paperclip down there as far as it will go, which feels like the length of the cylinder.

Also I soaked this puppy in Kroil / WD-40 type stuff.

I can't see enough detail on your cylinder but generally it is released by moving a spring loaded retainer which is captured in a groove in the lock housing.

On the one I posted it is the large brass piece at the left of cylinder just before end. The regular key locking pieces are the 5 tabs 90 degrees from it at the top. My lock releases by placing the cylinder in a certain position and pushing against the clip from the side.

Without seeing your cylinder, I suspect it works very similar except that with the hole where it is, the paper clip will be pushed down into the housing past retainer and in a position so when the cylinder is turned, it will meet the paperclip which will act like a ramp and retainer will be forced back against the spring into cylinder and released from the groove.

If you don't have a cylinder that looks similar to the one I posted, then will need more detail to figure it out.

EDIT: If it does work as I suspect, the size of the paper clip may be important as well. Too thin and the retainer may not push back far enough to clear groove.

I'm at work, so no better picture at the moment. But here's a close up with some call outs.

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Will look for a fat paperclip at the office and take it home...liberate it.

And I can turn the key to 3 positions, start, 90, and 180 degrees.

Something to do when I watch the news. Thanks, Howard.
Joe

When you get back to the old removed cylinder, look for a retainer or tab that is independent or differently shaped from the others that you can push into plug. That one I showed has it on the side from others, another cylinder from a different lock has it in line with others at the far end but differently shaped. If you don't have something that pushes in independently, then need to do more investigating.

On the old handle and cylinder, look down inside or on the cylinder where the paper clip goes in and see if you can see the retaining method. If one of those tabs on the cylinder appears cast in or fixed, there may be something down inside the housing that needs to depress to allow the cylinder to rotate past a normal stop and move the fixed tab in line with a channel to slide out.

This article may be useful, it's specific to 1937 but no doubt has application to other years. Originally published by the Packards East region of The Packard Club back in 1990.

packardclub.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1079

That sure appears to be the same lock in the 40 from what I can see in the picture and drawing. Cylinder does have to rotate past a normal stop. Thanks for the link to the article.

Great article. I'm getting the picture. Also, I now know what to do to reassemble my handles. I expected I would need some machinery to pinch and dimple the stem back together. But first I have to get that darn lock out.

Thanks, Owen
The name Owen Dyneto is some kind of generator. Thanks for generating that article.

EDIT: One mistake I was making was pushing down but not pushing in.