How to disassemble older Best padlock?

[i_b_larry]

You are probably right. The items in the photo were not necessarily in the exact position they came out.

The lock body at first looks symmetric but is not. The core will fit in only one way, for example. The sliding lock bars look the same until you discover that one has a taper on the end and the other does not. And, as you noted, the flat bar is different on each end.

I tried removing the shackle from one of my later Best locks and it did not come out.

[i_b_larry]

This is an update on the reassembly of this Best padlock.

As I write this I keep thinking back to a time in the 1970's when I ran a foreign car repair shop. A young man came in one day seeking employment. When it came to experience he said he had rebuilt the engine in his VW bus four times. I turned him down as I reasoned that if he had done it right the first time he would not have had to rebuild the engine so many times.

I have reassembled my lock about four times and it still does not work. After carefully documenting each step to ensure that assembly was correct, I now realize that my next-to-the-last step was fatally flawed. After inserting the plug, I tapped it down to seat it. This tapping dislodged all the other parts. I can see that the retainer plate is no longer in the grooves machined into the lock body and the tailpiece is no longer where it belongs.

I will have to remove the plug again and start over. I need to fabricate something to hold the retaining plate and tailpiece in place while the plug is installed. Just a simple piece of corrugated cardboard should be sufficient.

Once I get this thing put back together correctly, I will post my instructions and photos.

[averagejoe]

Hmm, your plug must be a tight fit or something. Mine slid in most of the way and a few taps got it fully seated. 1 more thing mos people would probably not think about: Did you put the locking dog with the angled face towards the open shackle hole? And get the retaining bar the right way around? Just trying to save you more frustration you know

[i_b_larry]

The plug slid most of the way in but it was those final taps that may have screwed everything up. I spotted the difference in the locking pawls early on and eventually figured out that the plate can fit only one way. No, this time around the lock worked perfectly until I removed the core and inserted the plug. When I look inside the lock I can see the plate is no longer in its grooves at the other end of the lock body and the tailpiece is no longer engaged in the pawls. I think just a piece of cardboard to hold the plate and tailpiece in place while I tap the plug into place will do the trick.

[i_b_larry]

I did finally get the whole thing back together and working better than ever. I pulled the plug out just a hair and slid the tailpiece and plate into their respective places. Then, holding the tailpiece down with a spare punch, I lightly tapped the plug back down until it seated. I turned the plug and installed a core. When I started on this lock, its operation was balky, probably due to all the brass shavings that ended up inside after drilling out the old core. Now when I turn the key about 70 degrees, the lock springs open just like it should and it closes with a reassuring click. God is now in his heaven and all is right with the world.

[GWiens2001]

Kudos, Larry! Feels great, doesn't it?

Gordon

[i_b_larry]

Kudos, Larry! Feels great, doesn't it?

Gordon

Open a window on the north side of your home. Do you hear it? CLICK! Click!

I can't stop opening and closing it! CLICK! Click!

Now I know how the cat feels when he catches a mouse. CLICK! Click!

A week ago I had the insides of that poor lock so jumbled up from springs flying around that I was viewing it as a paperweight. I really thought I would never get it unjammed. Patience paid off.

CLICK! Click!

[GWiens2001]

LOL. I am the same way with a successful impressioning. I know exactly how you must be feeling.

Gordon

[i_b_larry]

Darn! A few minutes ago bidding ended on eBay for a lot of five more of these little jewels, which I learned are a model 2B. The set of locks up for auction had 7-pin cores, each keyed differently with a master key and a control key. I bid as much as I could afford right now and it just was not enough. The high bid was, in my opinion, about half what they were worth but it was more than I could spend.

BTW, my "Darn" at the outset of the above was not my first choice of words. The system deleted the word I chose but did leave the explanation point. Let me see how this works. My great great grandfather was born in a town in Germany named Damm. He died before they built Hoover Dam. Darn! If you spell the word one way it kills it but homonyms (words that sound the same) go through.

[averagejoe]

Watch out, you might get in trouble for bypassing the chat filter.