Installing Solex Door Locks

[RA35GT]

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for the work that you do on your car, or any damage caused while following this guide.

The following instructions relate to the installation of the solex door locks into a '77 Celica, it should be similar
for other classic celicas (ie. Pre '78).

Tools:
* Philips screwdriver
* Flat screwdriver
* Window winder removal tool (or polishing cloth / open weave material).
* Pliers
* Needle files
Parts:
* Solex door lock kit (Celica uses NUL1250 - Two Lock Set)

Step One: Solex Door Lock Kit
* Check the contents of your door lock kit to ensure all the parts have been supplied.

Step Two: Strip the door
* Remove the screws that attach the arm rest and then remove the arm rest.
* Remove the plastic trim around the door handle. (Undo the screw and carefully remove the trim
from the door, you will need to lift the door handle).
* Remove the window winder (Using the tool or the polishing cloth).
If using the polish cloth method make you dont lose the clip, it occasionally flies off!
* Remove door trim. Be careful not to damage door trim/clips


Step Three: Remove original lock
* Open window
* Look through the opening at where the door lock is and try to visualise what you need to do.
* Close the window
* Reach your hand up through the opening and look through the gap in the end of the door to
see what your doing, see pic above.
* Unhook the linkage from the key barrel lever. You should be able to unhook the clip and remove the linkage
from the lever in one motion, see pic below.



* Remove the clip that holds the lock in place. (I found it easier to "roll" the clip to the side rather then
trying to push the clip off directly).
* Carefully manourvre the lock out of the door. This is easier if you rotate the plastic clip so its aligned
with the lock lever, as in the pic below.



Step Three: Preparing the Solex Lock
* Locate the correct lock. Position the SOLEX logo on top and see where the two cutouts are. One would be 90deg
clockwise while the other will be 90deg anti-clockwise from the top, see pic for reference.





* You need to set up the lock with the correct lever arm, the lever must also face in the same direction as the factory
lock and the clip must be positioned in the same side as well, as in the pic above.
* The way to test for the correct lever is to instal it (and the lock) to the door and check to see if you
can remove the key when you lock the door.
* In order for the lock to activate the deadlock, it must rotate the full 90 degs in the locked direction, i.e. when the key
lines up with the slot and is able to be removed.
* With lever 3 the key is very close to the slot, but I had to file some material away from the lever in order to get the
correct travel. This can be seen in the following pic, which shows the modded lever from the passenger side.


This the modded lever from the drivers side installed in the lock.


Filing only small amounts at a time and then checking it in the door is the key (get it? ha ha) to getting it perfect.

The ultimate test after all the filing is done is to open the window and lock the door from the outside using the key.
Deadlock the lock by turning it 90deg and remove the key. Then see if you can unlock the door (through the window).
If all is well you will not be able to unlock the car using the interior lock.

After it passes that test, insert the key and turn it 90 degs and remove the key again. Once again try to unlock the car through
the window, you should be able to freely operate the interior lock now.

Lock the door from the inside.

Lastly insert the key and unlock the door using the key. It should unlock.

Once the locks are back in place you can reassemble the doors, basically the reverse of dissasembly.
The clip that holds the door lock in place is installed as per the following pic of the drivers side.


To put the window winder back on, put the clip on the winder and then place the handle over the axle
and press it down, it doesn't take much pressure to get it on.


Finished!

[mrshin]

Great. Until some plick comes along and rotates the whole doorlock:-)

[RA35GT]

heheh yeah, but they could do that with any doorlock anyway..

["Z" UTE]

Great work, very informative article. I would like to add, that the KE series 3 lock Solex kits, also work well on the Coupe versions of the 1st gen Celica's. You lucky sods with RA28's, will have to put up with the standard hatch lock.

The main fitting problem with the Solex bootlock, is the grooves for the lock retainer. All 3 locks are identical. The lock retainer will not bend far enough to fit into the locks grooves. To fix this, you need to change the groove from paralell with the lock cap to about 15 degrees away from the top of the lock face. Simply remove the plastic face, and place the lock in a vice, and use a hacksaw to change the groove. Use your original bootlock as a template to get the correct angle.

cheers Chuck.

[Gleno28]

Good write up mate!

One thing i found when i did mine a few years ago, i stumbled on some solex's that look just like the original locks! work just the same, pretty tight to fit!
(sorry about the pic, had to zoom heaps)


We'll have to work out a strategy for the boot...

Cheers
Glen.