VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 1939 trunk handle removal

I need to remove the trunk handle on my 39 coupe so I can repair the bottom edge of the trunk lid and am having no success. I have no key and believe the handle is locked. Please help.

If the trunk is locked, I think the two alternatives are to drill the lock out or have someone with an old key selection try to open it. Keys well up into the fifties go in those locks.

Look for an old time locksmith. In the day many locksmiths had a ring of master keys for every cut GM used. It was simply a matter of trying keys until you found the one that worked. You would then make a copy of that key. Master key sets can still be found but are pretty rare these days.

I recently unlocked the trunk on a 57 Chev for a friend, with one of my 38 Chev Master keys.

All GM cars from 1935-1966 used the same type of key. Each key had 6 cuts. Each cut had 4 depths.

Gentlemen

Sorry but I left out a very important piece of information that may change you answers. The trunk lid is off the car so I can get to both ends of the handle. I was hoping I could do something to the handle to release it.

Must be different that on my '38 then. Mine is a simple nut to remove then pull the handle out.

If the handle is locked the pawl needs to be removed from the tab to remove the handle. Either a key must be found or the lock picked to rotate the lock cylinder and retract the pawl.

Chipper

Your answer is exactly what I suspicioned. I was hoping that my suspicions would be wrong.

Thanks to everyone who tried to help me.

I observed what Chipper described on a 36 Pontiac the other day.