Those five inch latches are not a common part. I've used maybe
one of them in the 21 years I've been a locksmith. I still have
one or two around some where, probably out in the service van.

Yes, replace the latch and put the old lock back is a valid thing
to do. Someday perhaps you can get the cylinders inverted.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 08:39:06 -0500, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Ah, now we get some more information. You bought the locks at
Home Depot. Well, that makes you a frugal home owner. If you
were
interested in having it done, you could likely find a
locksmith

Hi there Stormin Mormom,
I do appreciate your expert advice.

The old lock jammed probably because the old five-inch long
entry latch
bent inside somewhere.

So, just before Home Depot closed for the evening, I stopped
by, asked for
help, and picked up a four-lock set (two deadbolts and two
entry lock
knobs) for about fifty dollars. I figured it would take all of
a half hour
to replace something as "simple" as a lock (I know.... I know
.... it wasn't
so simple in the end but I didn't know that so it didn't play
into my
decision tree).

To be frank, I could have bought just one lock or even just one
five-inch
latch. The main reason I didn't buy just the latch is that I
didn't know
what else would break so I wanted to replace the whole
configuration. The
main reason I bought four locks instead of just one is I wanted
to do a
good job by replacing them all, instead of just repairing the
one broken
entry lock. I want one key for the whole house (including
deadbolts and
entry knobs).

I started the job by nightfall assuming it would be done before
dinner and
as you can tell, it was midnight before I finally gave up for
the night.

I guess I COULD have called a locksmith to install the four
locks, but
they'd have to get here before midnight to do me any good.
Again, since I
erroneously believed the "fits all doors" and "easy
installation" claims of
the package, I erred by not realizing that it didn't fit all
doors (not
without removing the cylinder) and the installation
instructions were
silent on this key task!

In the end, I simply installed a new five-inch latch and put
the old lock
back on. It's not as good a job, but I will have to get the
right tool
first.

Thank you for your expert advice.

My intention was to replace the lock and deadbolt on the
outside door