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Door locks

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:18 pm
by Aeroplane
One has not truly lived until he/she has changed out the door lock on a Cessna 170! And then I think, why bother? The hinge pins are on the outside of the door...

Re: Door locks

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 4:51 am
by eskflyer
Lmao, yes sir that is some great irony right there.

Re: Door locks

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:41 pm
by Hineywheel Bill
Those locks do bring to mind teats on a bore hog, but I wish I had a key that would fit mine.

Re: Door locks

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:01 pm
by Aeroplane
Hineywheel Bill wrote:Those locks do bring to mind teats on a bore hog, but I wish I had a key that would fit mine.
Yeah, that’s partly what prompted me to change mine. I got a pair of locks, keyed alike from my local locksmith for under $20. They’re much easier to change out with the door on your workbench, shiny side down and resting on a padded milk crate so you can be at eye level with your work. Frustrating? It’s sort of like going in through the carburetor to rebuild your motor... Count on spending at least a full day to do both.

Re: Door locks

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:04 pm
by Bruce Fenstermacher
Locks keep honest people out and that is likely you when you forget the key.

But more important, depending of the lock style, they help secure the door closed while the aircraft rocks back and forth day in and day out at the tie down. I found more than one 170 with the door popped open slapping the strut in the breeze. This is the main reason I lock mine.

They also deter people who are mostly honest but succumb to bad decisions. Hard criminals won't pull your door. Maybe not yours but many don't have pins that are easily pulled. The locks cause criminals to go to your neighbors unlocked plane.

Re: Door locks

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:19 pm
by GAHorn
I had different key for my door lock than I had for my magneto switch. When I added a baggage door, I took the opportunity to have them all keyed-alike.... and I wanted to retain the genuine Cessna key which fit my magnetos... It was a surprisingly simple job to remove the particular pins inside the tumblers of the door and bag-door...which then accepted my magneto key. (If you don't feel up to the task....Any good locksmith can do this in less than an hour. If you wish to avoid a service call... remove your doors and take them into the locksmilth's shop.)