ABLOY Classic Cam Lock Teardown and Rekey
Posted: Thu Jan 02, 2014 4:53 pmTeardown and Rekey of ABLOY Classic Cam Lock
Saw another member with questions on classic ABLOY locks, and remembered this orphaned lock (has no key)
And this orphaned key (no lock)
And a small bag of extra parts...
So what was I to do when fate has decreed it is time?
First, remove the nut, cam, etcetera off the rear of the lock.
Now you can see the clip that keeps the lock assembled.
To remove this kind of clip rotate it clockwise, feeding one end up onto a ramp. It helps to use a pick (dental type-not a lock pick) to lift the end if the clip into the ramp
With a full rotation, the clip comes off.
Now the carrier can be removed. Hold the lock keyway facing up so the parts do not fall out and lift the shell off the carrier. Be careful not to lose the sidebar!
The carrier removed:
The carrier turned around so you can see the groove the sidebar fits into. The sidebar is sitting below the carrier.
Inside the shell (lock body). You can see the slot the sidebar fits into to lock the carrier.
From this angle, you can see the discs and spacers. The discs are in the fully locked rotation - the only position in which the key can be removed.
All the lock components except for the carrier.
The carrier - the slot on the right is where the sidebar fits. The open area on the left is where the tabs on the discs are able to move and the wide area in the spacers fit.
The disc on the top left is a 'normal' disc. The disc on the top right has no tab on it, and is placed at the top of the carrier (closest to the key bow). The two other parts on the bottom are spacers.
The two discs at the top of this picture have an extra half-circle cut out on the opposite side. These are designed to make the ABLOY picks not work very well. From what I hear, they work pretty well.
Here the discs are stacked without the spacers. The keyway of each disc is aligned with the others so you can see the relative gate positions. You can also see false gates on some of the discs (the very shallow gates) that make picking more difficult.
There are six key bittings, but only three discs. (Not counting pick resistant discs and master discs.). How does that work? Flip the discs over. 1-6, 2-5, and 3-4.
If you can not read an ABLOY key, you can search the forum. Plenty of info on it.
But if you want to 'fumble and fit' the discs and the key, put a disc into the carrier and put in the key. Turn the key clockwise until the tab stops the disc.
Look at the sidebar groove. Does the gate line up like this?
If the answer is 'Yes', then it is the right disc for that key position. Add a spacer and the next disc. If the answer is '#%%^{', then it is not the correct disc. Carefully remove it and flip it over. Does it fit now? 'Yes' = add a spacer and go to next step. '#%%^{' = Remove the disc and save it to try in another position, and give another disc a chance.
Alternate disc/Spacer (repeat until carrier is full).
Locked position -
Unlocked Position (gates on disc line up with the slot)
Turn the key to the locked position, install the sidebar to the carrier, and reassemble in the reverse order above.
Try out your key and lock. Locked:
Unlocked:
Hope this helps someone out!
Gordon
Saw another member with questions on classic ABLOY locks, and remembered this orphaned lock (has no key)
And this orphaned key (no lock)
And a small bag of extra parts...
So what was I to do when fate has decreed it is time?
First, remove the nut, cam, etcetera off the rear of the lock.
Now you can see the clip that keeps the lock assembled.
To remove this kind of clip rotate it clockwise, feeding one end up onto a ramp. It helps to use a pick (dental type-not a lock pick) to lift the end if the clip into the ramp
With a full rotation, the clip comes off.
Now the carrier can be removed. Hold the lock keyway facing up so the parts do not fall out and lift the shell off the carrier. Be careful not to lose the sidebar!
The carrier removed:
The carrier turned around so you can see the groove the sidebar fits into. The sidebar is sitting below the carrier.
Inside the shell (lock body). You can see the slot the sidebar fits into to lock the carrier.
From this angle, you can see the discs and spacers. The discs are in the fully locked rotation - the only position in which the key can be removed.
All the lock components except for the carrier.
The carrier - the slot on the right is where the sidebar fits. The open area on the left is where the tabs on the discs are able to move and the wide area in the spacers fit.
The disc on the top left is a 'normal' disc. The disc on the top right has no tab on it, and is placed at the top of the carrier (closest to the key bow). The two other parts on the bottom are spacers.
The two discs at the top of this picture have an extra half-circle cut out on the opposite side. These are designed to make the ABLOY picks not work very well. From what I hear, they work pretty well.
Here the discs are stacked without the spacers. The keyway of each disc is aligned with the others so you can see the relative gate positions. You can also see false gates on some of the discs (the very shallow gates) that make picking more difficult.
There are six key bittings, but only three discs. (Not counting pick resistant discs and master discs.). How does that work? Flip the discs over. 1-6, 2-5, and 3-4.
If you can not read an ABLOY key, you can search the forum. Plenty of info on it.
But if you want to 'fumble and fit' the discs and the key, put a disc into the carrier and put in the key. Turn the key clockwise until the tab stops the disc.
Look at the sidebar groove. Does the gate line up like this?
If the answer is 'Yes', then it is the right disc for that key position. Add a spacer and the next disc. If the answer is '#%%^{', then it is not the correct disc. Carefully remove it and flip it over. Does it fit now? 'Yes' = add a spacer and go to next step. '#%%^{' = Remove the disc and save it to try in another position, and give another disc a chance.
Alternate disc/Spacer (repeat until carrier is full).
Locked position -
Unlocked Position (gates on disc line up with the slot)
Turn the key to the locked position, install the sidebar to the carrier, and reassemble in the reverse order above.
Try out your key and lock. Locked:
Unlocked:
Hope this helps someone out!
Gordon
