'55 Glove Box latch broken...won't open.

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Hi y'all. I'm new here and new to my '55 (only had her 2wks). I've been reading/searching this forum for some time now, learning lots. Currently sorting out the engine (which, based on this forum, seems to have the typical issues) checking vacuum syst., ignition syst., carb, etc.

However, today is rainy and dreary and I can't really run the engine in my garage. So, I'm working on other stuff...like trying to break into my glove-box without actually breaking anything.

The key works in the glove-box lock. The button pushes...but nothing disengages. Something back there has slipped. Spring in the button is functional (button moves in and out easily). I can push/pull on the door. I removed the three hinge screws this morning...but there's not enough wiggle-room to slip the door past the latch. Of course, I have no idea what the latch looks like inside...I haven't had it open.

Any tricks or tips or whatever? The interior of this car is original and very nice...I don't want to damage anything if I can help it.

[bhambulldog]

Here's the trick to opening mine (maybe it'll work on yours)

While pushing the latch release button, also press down on the lower roll of glove box door.

edit

PS Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your Roadmaster acquisition !!

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Here's the trick to opening mine (maybe it'll work on yours)

While pushing the latch release button, also press down on the lower roll of glove box door.

edit

PS Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your Roadmaster acquisition !!

Thanks James. Got her timing and carb issues sorted out (mostly) this morning...drove quite well. Still have a flat-spot that needs work (based on this forum, that probably won't ever go away completely).

Elder brother and I worked on glove box today but nothing seems to work, push, pull, prod, wiggle...nothing. If I knew what the latch looked like from the inside, I might be able to make a 'slim-jim' tool to disengage the striker (or whatever is in there). Could you post a pic of the inside mech. on yours for me?

Thanks!

[bhambulldog]

Marc,

Here you go,

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Marc,

Here you go,[ATTACH]215263[/ATTACH][ATTACH]215264[/ATTACH][ATTACH]215265[/ATTACH][ATTACH]215266[/ATTACH][ATTACH]215267[/ATTACH][ATTACH]215268[/ATTACH]

Perfect! Thank you very much!! Now that I can see the mech, I believe I can slip in and trigger the latch. Gonna take some creativity but...I enjoy a challenge!

[bhambulldog]

If worse comes to worst;

You can pull the box it self out from underneath , to get to the latch.

Replacement boxes are avalaible , i have a replacement box on mine

[bhambulldog]

If you can get a shim in above the latch, you'll probably get it.

Maybe some "3 in 1 oil" through the key hole will help…

[Guest Trapdoor2]

If you can get a shim in above the latch, you'll probably get it.

Maybe some "3 in 1 oil" through the key hole will help…

Yah, a shim or slim-jim may be difficult because of the locator tab above the latch. Probably will have to gin up something that will attack from the side.

Before I tear up the box (which looks clean and original), I will drill a small hole (1/8"?) in the bottom of the box and reach thru with a wire. Seal up the hole after. The key mech works perfectly. Key locks the button, button works smoothly, etc. Something isn't engaging the striker internally in the latch mech.

Once I get it open, I hope the latch can be opened up (without destroying it) so I can repair it. If not, I'm probably going to have to find a working latch to replace it...which would mean sorting out the key, etc.

[bhambulldog]

You've got a good plan of attack…

Before drilling a hole, try removing the engine turned trim piece. No need to drill through that if you can avoid it

[Guest Trapdoor2]

You've got a good plan of attack…

Before drilling a hole, try removing the engine turned trim piece. No need to drill through that if you can avoid it

Ah...I meant drilling a small hole in the cardboard box itself (from underneath), not the door.

I'm taking a 1/2 day off from work today to take her to the DMV. I'll play with it after I get back and post results. Pretty day today, maybe some pix too.

[bhambulldog]

Ah !!

If you lived down here in Jefferson county a half day would not be enough. We have take a whole day off to get tags

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Ah !!

If you lived down here in Jefferson county a half day would not be enough. We have take a whole day off to get tags

Wouldn't surprise me here...I've never tried to register a vintage vehicle before. I have an original Alabama '55 tag, so I'm going to try to get it done with that. It's a Mobile county tag (2)...I couldn't find a Madison county tag (47) from '55. If I ever run across a 47 tag, I'll swap 'em out (another wait in line at DMV!).

[bhambulldog]

If your car came from outside Alabama , they might want ti inspect it. Also, they'll want to inspect your vintage tag, if another tag with the same number (of a different year) has already been registered, the may decline to let you use it.

[Paul Falabella]

Hey Trap, welcome to the forum.

Bought my Roadmaster from a guy in Huntsville. Problem with NYS DMV,Alabama doesn't list the weight of the vehicle on the reg. I looked it up and wrote on the app. they questioned and would not take my word for it. The wanted me to get a notarized letter from Buick with the weight. When I asked if there are or were any 55 Buicks registered in NY they were not amused. I brought my copy of American Cars 1946-1959 and after a lengthy discussion finally registered the car. So now I tell everyone I have the only 55 Buick in the state of NY. Got YOM plate reg. later.

Good luck with the lock.

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Ok, a bit of thread drift here...

I took her down to the DMV and parked it in the designated "for vehicle inspection only" space. Got thru the metal detector at the entrance and only lost my ballpoint pen (must have left it in the basket).

Waited only 10min in line. Nice lady took one look at my original license plate and papers...had to go off and find someone who knew how to work the registration in the computer.

So, she asks for my "proof of insurance" and I hand her the papers from Hagerty. Of course, the papers don't have their NAICS number on them. She says I need to call Hagerty and get proof of insurance faxed to the Huntsville DMV...which I do via cellphone while she's serving the next folks in line.

When she's done with them, she retrieves the papers from her FAX machine, digs thru 'em and pulls out the sheet with the vehicle glove-compartment/wallet cards. I look at her and say, "that's all you need?" I had them in my pocket...but the DMV website says those cards aren't sufficient proof, so I didn't offer 'em. Go figure. I didn't argue...smile and wave, Marc, smile and wave.

After that, no problems at all. Original plate got a "V" sticker and I'm good to go. Took about an hour, maybe less.

Oh, and she inspected the car from her window. Called two other ladies over and they all went "Ooooh. Ahhhhh! Nice car!" That was the sum total inspection. Alabama ain't New York, I guess.

Drove '55 home...ran out of gas on the way! I haven't run out of gas in a car since I was in high-school. Pulled off into a subdivision and parked it. I was just getting out to walk the 1/2 mile to the nearest gas station when a guy in a pickup stops. He's got an empty gas can and takes me to get it filled up. Earns a $20 for his trouble and I drive her to the nearest station...20gal later (and $70 poorer), I'm headed home again.

When it cools down tonight, I'll put the tag on her. I'm about done with adventure today...:cool:

[bhambulldog]

cool!!

I'm hoping my three cars

2003 Dodge Durango 85K miles,

1990 Ford F250 82K miles,

1955 Buick Roadmaster 75K miles

will last the rest of my life,

I may never have to wait at the DMV again...

[JohnD1956]

Ok, a bit of thread drift here...

I took her down to the DMV and parked it in the designated "for vehicle inspection only" space.... and she inspected the car from her window. Called two other ladies over and they all went "Ooooh. Ahhhhh! Nice car!" That was the sum total inspection. Alabama ain't New York, I guess. LOL!!!!!

Drove '55 home...ran out of gas on the way! I haven't run out of gas in a car since I was in high-school. Pulled off into a subdivision and parked it. I was just getting out to walk the 1/2 mile to the nearest gas station when a guy in a pickup stops. He's got an empty gas can and takes me to get it filled up. Earns a $20 for his trouble and I drive her to the nearest station...20gal later (and $70 poorer), I'm headed home again. LMAO!!!!!

Those pesky mid fifty's gas guages are a real PIA!!! Now I put gas in the car everytime I take it out, just to give me some assurance I won't have to push that girl uphill again!

[bhambulldog]

Thanks James. Got her timing and carb issues sorted out (mostly) this morning...drove quite well. Still have a flat-spot that needs work (based on this forum, that probably won't ever go away completely).

!

No flat spot on mine.

Mine has; A good strong pull when accelerating from a stop or at any speed.

I'm running a solid state ignition , everything else is stock,

[Guest Trapdoor2]

No flat spot on mine.

Mine has; A good strong pull when accelerating from a stop or at any speed.

I'm running a solid state ignition , everything else is stock,

That's good to hear. She's a work in progress at the moment. I drove her to work Friday (show and tell, she was a hit) and she did reasonably well. Still driving with two feet (one for braking, the other to keep her running at the stop lights).

I suspect the vacuum advance isn't working, will be testing that this weekend. Also still not convinced the carb is operating correctly. Rebuilt and tested carb on its way from Carb Exchange, should be here Monday. Am thinking about doing the same for the distributor...but need to verify what P/N is in the car. I think the master parts list shows two different P/Ns. I couldn't find a replacement part for the vacuum advance.

What solid state unit are you running? While I would prefer to keep her as stock as possible, I also want her to be dead reliable for my wife to drive.

[old-tank]

http://hagensautoparts.com/buick/41-electrical/14345/

Vacuum advance here and others out there. After you get you get your 'rebuilt and tested' carb installed be sure the ignition system is working as designed.

[bhambulldog]

Dad put the solid state ignition in there ten years ago.... It requires no maintenance whatsoever, I've even forgotten what brand it is.

For Dynaflow cars there is a dash pot that is supposed to hold the throttle , preventing stalling. Also, the idle must be set with the car in drive,

And I've got the timing and plug gaps set at the shop manual specs.

For cold starts, The choke is a little tricky too, with the accelerator starter switch. Don't press the accelerator any farther than is necessary to engage the starter. Pressing it too far will disengage the choke

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Thanks y'all! I'm learning the beast...as I go. I haven't worked on a "non computer" car since I was a kid, so a lot of this stuff is "re-learning" or simply stuff I never encountered. Something new every time I take her out...yesterday afternoon the ring/pinion started howling like a banshee. Now I gotta go see what's up with that! :eek:

This car is missing the carb dash-pot and bracket. Frankly, when I was a kid we just threw 'em away; setting the idle speed up a bit to compensate. If I can find the correct brackt, I'll re-fit it with one...will make it a little easier for my wife to drive.

I'll order that vacuum advance. I'm fairly sure the one that's on it is toast. Ignition settings are spot on at the moment...dwell 30deg, 5deg advance @ 350rpm, etc. It just stumbles badly around 25-35mph (right where the vacuum advance should be working)...runs and accelerates fine past that. She also won't idle in drive below 700rpm or so. Choke is working (once I corrected the lever-arm position)...I needed that pointer on cold starting yesterday!

I've been doing almost daily forum searches here...lots of info and advice. Glad to y'all here to help!!

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Thanks to the pix from James, I was able to pop the latch after about 15 min with a bit of coathanger. I used an old trick of wedging the door with some wooden wedges (sacrifical clothespins) to put some pressure on the latch and when I finally touched the latch nose, she popped open.

Woo hoo!!

The latch is broken, unfortunately. When it popped I heard something hit the floor of the glovebox...it was the nose and spring. The mech is distorted (more than usual) and looks like it has been "under forcible attack". The glovebox door looks fine though, not bent or scratched (inside or out).

I guess I'll start a new thread: "Looking for glovebox latch mech"

Thanks y'all!!

[MCHinson]

Here is one source:

http://www.oldbuickparts.com/catalog/up-to-1960-buick-group-10-glove-box-glove-box-lock-1954-56-buick-p-4920.html

They come up on Ebay often as well, but it looks like all of them on there today are more expensive than the link above. A used one from another forum member may also be a viable alternative.

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Here is one source:

http://www.oldbuickparts.com/catalog/up-to-1960-buick-group-10-glove-box-glove-box-lock-1954-56-buick-p-4920.html

They come up on Ebay often as well, but it looks like all of them on there today are more expensive than the link above. A used one from another forum member may also be a viable alternative.

Thanks Matt, I got a pair off of ebay for $20, if one of them doesn't fit, I'll try oldbuickparts. Classicbuicks.com also lists a set for sale.

[Marty Roth]

If you take it apart, you can examine the length and sequence of the pins , and then reassemble your old pins in the replacement lock mechanism. That way your replacement will work from your existing key.

Another old-timer's trick was to simply take all of the pins out and reassemble. That way, most folks would not know it , but any comparable keyway (from any other GM car) would open the lock, but the door was otherwise locked.

[Guest Trapdoor2]

If you take it apart, you can examine the length and sequence of the pins , and then reassemble your old pins in the replacement lock mechanism. That way your replacement will work from your existing key.

Another old-timer's trick was to simply take all of the pins out and reassemble. That way, most folks would not know it , but any comparable keyway (from any other GM car) would open the lock, but the door was otherwise locked.

Yes. Actually, the key barrel (and button) came out easily and are in good condition. All I really need is a functional latch/escutcheon...the lock barrel and button from my original should slip right in. If something else is wrong, I would need to xfer the old pins into a new lock, just as you detailed. I hope not...I had 'dropsy' today and small parts kept hitting the floor and escaping. I don't need to deal with even smaller lock pins!

Good point on just removing the pins. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind when I'm crawling on the floor looking for tiny escapees!

[Guest Trapdoor2]

Happy ending: found two on ebay that looked correct, $20 for the pair. They arrived today and 2min later, the lock barrel is in and the unit is functional with my original keys. Now all I gots to do is put it back in the glovebox (another 2min), re-attach the glovebox hinge and spend 20min fine tuning the latch and strike so the box door closes with even gaps all around, latches and unlatches, etc. May have to visit O'Reilly's to snag a small tube of generic grease for the latch internals. I dusted the lock barrel with graphite, smooooooooth.

In the 'thread drift' dept, I received my "rebuilt and tested" carb from Carb Exchange yesterday. Looks extremely nice. Linkage is much tighter than my original, appears to be properly adjusted, new hair-springs, etc. If it works as good as it looks, I'll be very happy. I tested the vacuum advance pot currently on the car...leaky like swiss cheese. New unit on the way.

[bhambulldog]

Very nice! Keep up the good work!