Interior & Exterior Styling
Ally Door Lock Pins
If you want to fit some of those fancy alloy door lock pins then you're going to need to make some small modifications to enable them to go on easily. If you own a Mk1 then there's no need to read this as they already have screw on ones, and if you own a Mk3 or above then why are you here... they don't have door lock pins!?
Basically the existing pins on the Mk2 are moulded onto the end of the bar that connects to the door lock. This means that to fit screw on ones you'll have to remove them. Now there are two ways to go about this... The easy way is to get some door lock bars out of a Mk1, they already have screw on pins and will fit straight into the Mk2 door. The harder way is to cut a thread into the existing connecting bars - this is what I did.
Start by taking the door lock out. To do this, unscrew the window handle, door handle surround, mirror adjuster knobs, pull handle and anything else that screws through the door panel into the door. Then unclip the door panel and remove it. Now unclip all the bars that are connected to the door lock on the inside of the door, there should be 3 that you can detach, one from the inside handle, one from the outside handle and one from the lock. Once these have all been removed you can unscrew the lock from outside and, holding onto the bar that goes to the door lock pin, lower it down into the bottom of the door then pull it out round the window runners.
Now if you're taking the easy option all you have to do is replace the existing bar with one from a Mk1 and put the lock back then go to the second to last paragraph. However if you want to modify your existing bars then read the rest of this guide to see what to do.
Using some form of cutter or small saw, cut the plastic away from the end of the bar, try not to damage the end of the bar as we need to cut a thread into it!
Once all the plastic has been removed clamp the bar tightly in a vice and get an M4 die (round thing used for cutting thread), run this about 20mm to 30mm down from the end of the bar (I did mine down to the first bend). It won't matter if there is too much thread, but it will matter if there isn't enough!
Once the bar is threaded you can reattach it to the door lock and put it back in the door. Then do the same to the lock on the other side.
Now put the door panel back in place but don't fix it there just yet, get the new door lock pins and screw them on. You'll probably find that they stick up too far and don't sit down properly when the door is locked. If so then measure how much they sit up by when in the locked position. Then take them off again, remove the panel and carefully cut the same amount the end of the bar. Don't assume that you need to take the same amount off the bar in the other door as mine were completely different, I had to cut about 3mm of one and about 7mm of the other!!!
Once you have them sitting as you want reassemble everything and screw all the bits back onto the door. If you fitted polished alloy door pins you might want to paint the lock pin surrounds silver, it will make them look a lot better. Then stand back and admire your work.
