Spare Tire Lock

[pjs]

Just putting a hack back on the road after a 40 year sleep. When I put the hack into storage I had two spare tire locks. One NOS with the keys still in the cloth bag attached to the lock and another that I used. Both locks were left in the tub with the wrenches and mounts and are now frozen. I have tried Graphite Lock Ease with no luck. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to free up these locks without damaging them. Help. Thanks, PJ

[T. Cotten]

Just putting a hack back on the road after a 40 year sleep. When I put the hack into storage I had two spare tire locks. One NOS with the keys still in the cloth bag attached to the lock and another that I used. Both locks were left in the tub with the wrenches and mounts and are now frozen. I have tried Graphite Lock Ease with no luck. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to free up these locks without damaging them. Help. Thanks, PJ

PJ!

I would start with a heatlamp and Kroil, and then compressed air to get the particulates out.

Good luck!

....Cotten

[ryan]

There was a write up in Popular Mechanics about penetrating oils and the one that beat everything, bar none, was a 1:1 mixture of Acetone and Automatic transmission fluid.
However, you must shake it up every time before use as it tends to separate fairly quickly. Good luck!

[Rooster]

I've used nearly every penetrating fluid on the market. Although I've heard of others having great success with the acetone/ATF mixture, I've found it mostly ineffective.
I recently unfroze a totally frozen up fork lock, and tried a product from CRC called "Freeze Off". The aerosol product leaves the nozzle at an extremely low temperature, delivering a 'thermal shock'.
I suggest warming the part thoroughly (even a regular light bulb puts off a lot of heat), then blasting the core of the lock with Freeze Off. Usually, a 'thermal shock' works best for freeing stuck parts.
My locksmith advises never use WD40 in a lock. Best to use Triflow as a lubricant, as it contains silicone.

[ryan]

If I can drop the part in a soaking jar, the best luck I have had is a mixture of one part black strap molasses with 6 parts water. This mixture does not harm the finish and takes about a week.
I also use this mixture and soaking to remove rust on a lot of my parts. This method works very well, but the whole part must be submerged. Again, good luck.

[pjs]

Thanks all for the good suggestions. I'll begin trying them one at a time. Sounds like I should have success with at least one of them.
Now, does anyone have a copy of "Setting Up Instructions Single Passenger LE Sidecar" dated 9-17-42" they'd be willin to share?
Thanks again for all the replies, PJ.