Boot Lock problem

[Stevearniepalmer]

Good Morning Everyone
I’ve recently collected my Morris Minor 1967 4 door froma garage who have done an absolutely fantastic job of re spraying and various other assorted problems that have been sorted.
However one job has gone wrong and I wondered if anyone can suggest what to do.
I asked the garage to change the boot handle which they did.The Crome on the car isn’t bad but the handle was showing signs of age etc.
When I returned home I filled the boot with stuff that I usually carry as a Morris owner oil, screen wash ,Antifreeze etc etc.
Locked the boot with the new key.So far so good.However when I went to open the boot again I put the key in and disaster the handle is just turning and turning but the boot won’t open
I’ve spoken to the garage and they are having it back but I wondered if anyone has come across this before.
I can’t access the boot from the cab as it’s a 1967 model.
Thoughts anyone.
Steve

[MorrisJohn]

What a shame. Racking my brains but drawing a blank. I hope someone more knowledgable is able to help you.

I stand to be corrected but I thought the boot could be accessed via the fold down rear seat on all saloons?

[simmitc]

It can, but the seat back is secured from inside the boot, so you've got to be in the boot to fold the seat.

Back to the handle, have you tried just turning the key half way round? The fact that it does not hit a stop does not mean that the lock is still engaged. Key upright one way = locked, 180 degrees opposite = unlocked. Anything in between = locked.

[Stevearniepalmer]

Hi Yes I’ve tried that.I spent about an hour fiddling the other day but it either just goes all the way round and doesn’t open or doesn’t move when in the locked position.
Steve

[philipkearney]

I've been pondering over this for a few hours. As Simmitc says, the back seat should be fixed from behind, with a strap and popper usually. Even if you could get the back seat down, you'd have to then remove the boot floor panels as the lock sits below them.

When this happened to me years ago, the only option was to find a long piece of pipe or box section that fitted snugly over one side of the handle but long enough to give leverage and lever the handle open, breaking the lock in the process. The handle is effectively scrap afterwards but I could see no other options.

If you could get to the lock, you could unbolt either the lock or the catch but getting to it is very tricky.

[simmitc]

A less destructive solution is available, which I will PM to Steve rather than putting it in open forum.

[MorrisJohn]

Could a locksmith unpick it?

[kevin s]

Have you tried pushing the handle in hard while turning it, ours was barely in the square of the latch and would come out, I ended up drilling the end of the square shaft and adding a screw to pull it in tight.

[Stevearniepalmer]

Hi All
Happy New Year one and all.
Just a quick update re my boot lock.
I returned Audrey to the garage and they have fitted a new boot handle and lock free of charge.
The lock mechanism broke off completely in the locked position which is why I couldn’t open it.
The thing that is worrying is that the handle was new from a reputable Morris Minor parts shop .I’ve had a couple of problems with new parts recently including indicator arms which have broken after 2 or 3 months.
Anyway boot lid sorted
Regards
Steve

[James k]

Good to hear it's sorted.

Unfortunately, this is a common theme with replacement parts, an awful lot of them are just terribly made. I had to have a new boot handle on my Traveller as the old one got lost somehow when rewooding it. It's already playing up and is difficult to unlock. New rubber parts seem particularly bad and turn rapidly into a brittle substance that comes off on your fingers like coal dust!

[svenedin]

Hi All
Happy New Year one and all.
Just a quick update re my boot lock.
I returned Audrey to the garage and they have fitted a new boot handle and lock free of charge.
The lock mechanism broke off completely in the locked position which is why I couldn’t open it.
The thing that is worrying is that the handle was new from a reputable Morris Minor parts shop .I’ve had a couple of problems with new parts recently including indicator arms which have broken after 2 or 3 months.
Anyway boot lid sorted
Regards
Steve

That is disappointing to hear. Was your lock made by WBH (Weston Body Hardware)? My very recently replaced lock was made by WBH in Redditch. It certainly seems very well made. Time will tell.