Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

I was aligning a better looking trunk lid on my 68 2000 when I closed the thing and it wont open back up. The trunk is full. Interior items and misc roadster stuff. The key was in it and was stuck in the open position or close to it. I think the hook may have slipped into a spot where the latch is preventing it from being freed up. I can get the key into the lock and turn it but it free turns and nothing happens. It tried to reach the inside through the seal and had no luck. Any ideas? maybe taking out a tail light and reaching it with a coat hanger or somthing?

Thanks for any help.


Ray

Ray,
There is a write up on how to open the trunk buried in this forum somewehre. Might be in the "hints" section. Contact Steve and he will point you in the right direction.
Mike

Ray, I locked my keys in the trunk one time at a datsun show and the way I got it open was to take off the licence plate and drilled a small hole where the latching mechanism is and then took a small screw driver and unhooked the latch, had alot of datsun people around and that was what everyone said to do. Hope this helps, Good Luck,
Dave

anyone with a good hint? Im going to mess around with a strap wire tonight and see if it will work.

Ray

Mike's right, there's a write up with measurements to bend the coathanger and step by step instructions. My 69 has a hole through the trunk floor with a grommet directly beneath the latch, may be there on yours. Straight shot up to the latch.

Yep, I successfully used those instructions to unlock my trunk when I stupidly locked it with the keys inside. Took an hour, mostly because I had to try several different wire pieces to find one stiff enough to work. Coat hanger wasn't stiff enough for my trunk lock, but a leftover piece of grounding wire was.

This was sent to me by a friend:

Get a length of straight stiff wire, (paint can handle works great)
Make a mark at 3 inches and 4 and a quarter inches

Make a 90 degree bend at the 3 inch mark.
Put the wire in the pasenger side tag screw hole
Line the 4 inch mark up with the rear body panel
turn the wire so the angled part goes up and to the driver side, it will come to rest on the trunk latch (inside the trunk, it will be parallel to the ground)
Turn the wire towards the driver side which will then be pushing down on the latch, and it will pop the trunk.

Pushing down on the trunk lid helps.

I just went and did this on the 67 to make sure it would work, these are exact measurements.

Being locked out sucks, and we have all done it

So do you think I could grab that and put it in the new tech section?

Steve

S Allen wrote:So do you think I could grab that and put it in the new tech section?

Steve

You would have to ask the author for permission. I think it was here at one time and was deleted?

Hey Dave I'm going to give it a shot later on........long story short, I locked keys in the trunk (or so I think I did) at the gas station. Luckly I had my jeep there getting tires put on......so I drove the jeep home for my spare set of keys. I get back and open the trunk but don't see the keys, I shut the trunk and check my pockets for the thousandth time, still no keys. I go to open the trunk again to have a better look and the trunk won't open.....the key goes in and turns but the trunk won't open, now I go to take the key out of the trunk and it won't come out, so I put my tail between my legs and take the ignition key off the key chain and drive home. I was able to get the trunk key out but still can't open the trunk.


Gary

This will not do you much good once the trunk is locked but I like to put a stiff wire with a 90 degree bend on the lower end for a handle hooked to the latch through a small hole in the trunk. The bumper pretty much hides it and just in case you do drop your keys in the trunk and close it-- a quick tug on the release wire and your trunk is open. Similar to the secondary oh crap my cable broke hood release. I have seen armies of people trying to help someone who locked their keys in their trunk.



Steve

You may be able to do it without the drama. First put the key in the lock, then push down on the trunk lid to take tension off the latch. With your third hand, or an assistant, gently hold the outside of the lock cylinder from turning, and turn the key. IIRC, the whole lock cylinder rotating the in right direction will also trip the latch.

As far as the latch is concerned, it doesn't know the whole lock is rotating or just the middle part .

So I get home last nite and I give Dave's paint can wire a try.......the trunk still does not open!!!!!!! The wire does work, my spare key in the lock actually moves to the open position as I work the wire and I am pushing down on the trunk to relieve any pressure on the latch but still no go. Some thing must be jammed I have tried spinning the whole lock assembly with a pair of vise grips and still no luck.................I'm getting a really bad feeling about this much like the time my hood release cable snapped and I didn't have a backup release.

Help

Thanks Gary

OK,
This is what happened to me.

I didnt lock the key in the trunck, but when I opened the trunk, I must have turned the key and lock cylinder to far or hard and the arm on the lock cylinder slipped off and under the trunk latch. So, when I went and tried the wire trick , the lock arm prevented the truck latch from moving.

I spun the the lock cylinder to free up the movement on the truck latch . In my case I went thru the hole in the truck floor , right below the latch, with a hooked wire to get at the latch.

I have since added a saftey wire , that hangs out of the truck floor.

Vince

Hey Vince how's it going. This might be what happened to me but I have tried spinning the lock cylinder while using both the key and Daves wire and nothing...... I will look later tonite at the truck floor and see if I can catch the latch with a wire. Are you going to be around later tonite around 7:00 I might give you a buzz.........

Thanks Gary