Disassembly of Star In-Floor Safe

[sign216]

I've got this old Star safe lid. Is it difficult to take it further apart?

Dirt and rust are binding the action, and I'd like to clean it. But when I removed the back and front plates, much of the mechanism (bolts, linkage, etc) is still buried under the steel frame. It's not open and exposed like most in-floor safe lids.

Any advice?
Joe

[BlueLock]

The wheelpack section should come out the bottom. I cannot quite see if from your picture, but I would guess that you just need to remove the spline key and then remove the dial before the wheelpack can be removed.

This may not be exactly for your door, but this exploded diagram should be close enough to give you a good idea of what you need to do:

[MartinHewitt]

Is there a spline key on the rear end of the dial spindle? I can't see it in the photos.

[BlueLock]

I missed it at first, too. If you zoom way in on the bottom picture, it looks like there is a spline key sitting at about 4 O'Clock on the spindle.

[sign216]

Yes, there is a spline key, although it's smaller than what I'm familiar with for S&G locks.

Not the best design, if you have to remove the spline + wheel pack, just to access the bolts and linkage.

Is that what it looks like here?

[billdeserthills]

The spline key on this safe is just a flat piece of metal, it will come out though. The grease Star used was a lithium base & turns into a paste-like substance over time. There is also a rebuild kit available, should you need to replace anything but it's scary expensive, the one I bought years ago was much cheaper...


https://www.safeandlockstore.com/produc ... r-Kit.html


I'm sure all it really needs is taken apart & cleaned, I like to use synthetic grease but anything would be an improvement, it sounds like

The relockers (one for each bolt) are spring-loaded-- so as you pull each bolt out, hold your hand over the back of the safe, or take it apart in a bag so you don't lose anything or ya may wind up needing that rebuild kit after all

[sign216]

Bill-D,

Thanks for the tips, esp. on being careful on the re-locker parts. I can imagine...

On the old grease; I just did a total disassemble/clean on one Gary safe lid because the white Lith grease had hardened, and the wheels were binding. I had to remove the spline key on that, but the entire mechanism had much better access than this Star safe lid.

If I run into any complications I'll reach out, thanks again.

Joe

[BlueLock]

It is generally a good practice to replace the spline key with a new one if it has been removed. If you do not have one, make sure it is *really* snug and will not fall out even with repeated slamming of the door onto hard surfaces. Especially that door. Since this door typically sits in the tube on the floor and the door is heavy, people tend to be less than gentle setting it on the (concrete) floor after opening and also putting it back into the steel tube. The last thing you want or need is for that spline key to come out when the door is in the tube and locked.

[billdeserthills]

Personally speaking, I have rebuilt a handful of these Star lift out safes over the last 25 years & I've never replaced a spline key on one of these yet, likely cause the only replacement I had was in the rebuild kit & I wasn't gonna open it for that & it hasn't been a problem

[sign216]

Removed the lock pack, but the base won't budge. There was a retaining ring right above it, removed that. I added some Kroil penetrate. Might add more, and let it sit overnight.

Any ideas?

[BlueLock]

With the retaining ring removed, I would think it would come out fairly easily. Does it make any difference if the bolts are fully extended, fully retracted, or somewhere in-between?

Personally speaking, I have rebuilt a handful of these Star lift out safes over the last 25 years & I've never replaced a spline key on one of these yet, likely cause the only replacement I had was in the rebuild kit & I wasn't gonna open it for that & it hasn't been a problem

I would bet that the bottom plate/cup is close enough to the spline key in the Major/Star doors to retain it if it does start to come out. FWIW, the few I have worked on have had a nice and snug fit.

[Squelchtone]

Removed the lock pack, but the base won't budge. There was a retaining ring right above it, removed that. I added some Kroil penetrate. Might add more, and let it sit overnight.

Any ideas?

are there any screws or allen head bolts down in those 3 holes holding the lock bolts in place?

Here is a repair kit for a Star Safe, wonder if that base is pressed on.



Squelchtone

[Squelchtone]

if you have removed the dial, can you punch the center out from the front?

[billdeserthills]

if you have removed the dial, can you punch the center out from the front?

That tube the wheels ride on goes all the way into the safe, so you can't reach the bottom plate through it, without making a hole through it.

The bottom plate lifts off, it wasn't originally pressed on--years of use may have scored the area just above the cover where it meets the tube, probably a bunch of grease sticking it on too. In the past I have sprayed the tube area with solvent & then try to wiggle off the cover using my hands on the cover-- Turn it back & forth while pulling

seems like some fine sandpaper/emery cloth to the bottom of the tube could help loosen it

[sign216]

After some hours of sitting w Kroil, and striking it w a cushioned hammer, the base plate came free. There's solidified white grease at the bottom, and some steel parts have some rust. Not a lot of rust, but the parts are so closely fitting that a little corrosion and some dried grease jam solidly.

What's the correct order of the wheel pack on top of the base plate? They popped off unexpectedly, and they got jumbled.

Joe