Glove Box Latch 73-87 (91) Chevy GMC Trucks

[HotRodPC]

Time for some fun. Has anyone ever tried replacing your glove box latch on your squarebody truck, Blazer or Burb???? Its not as easy as you might think. I am having to replace mine in the 85K1500. I know when I get this truck running I won't be able to handle it being open like I did in my 84 for a week before I figured out how to do it. For the purpose of familiarizing yourself with what you are actually doing and working with, I read all the instruction and look at all the pics before you start this task. So here we go.

One thing to remember, DO NOT PRY on the Glove Box Knob latch. It is just lightly pressed or crimped on. If you pry on it, it will come off and you are not likley to get it back on. So leave the knob as part of the tumbler assembly. Pics will show you where you can lightly pry to get the tumbler removed.

First gather tools.

Straight pick or small flat scredriver. (I've done with small screwdriver, pic works best)
Paper Clip or stiff wire. The bigger type paper clip works best but little works too.
Small Screwdriver incase you need it to pry, probably a little bigger than the one you might use in place of a pick, and even though you will be tempted, DO NOT PRY on this knob.

Notice the small hole in the front knob of the glove compartment. This is where the paperclip will be used as a staight firm wire to be installed.

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[HotRodPC]

Step #1 - Open the Glove Comapartment Door if not already opened from a broken latch, and then move the latch itself to the closed position by pushing it upward into the assembly as pictured below.

 

[Swims350]

ok? lol waiting for more...

some have a key slot and actually lock lol.

 

[HotRodPC]

Step #2. Now that the latch is in the CLOSED latched position, using a pick or small screwdriver, push down on the locking tab inside the mechanisn through the hole closest to the glove compartment door on the passenger side of the assembly picture below. Keep in mind, if you can not see the tab to be depressed, its because you don't have the latch in the closed position. This is why you close the latch so the tab is expsed thru the small hole.

This is what the actual tab you are looking for to depress will look like inside the assembly.

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[HotRodPC]

Step #3 Now put the paperclip into the hole in the front of the knob. This holds the tab in the depressed position and you should be able to now remove the pick form the assembly. Check to be sure though. This is why the bigger paper clip works better. REMEMBER, DO NOT PRY ON THE GLOVE BOX KNOB !!!

DO NOT PRY ON THE GLOVE BOX KNOB !!!

 

[HotRodPC]

ok? lol waiting for more...

some have a key slot and actually lock lol.

Yes, and the ones with a key slot, I beleive you actually use the key instead of the paperclip.

 

[HotRodPC]

Step #4 Once the paperclip is in place to hold the tab, you can pull the pick out and in the larger rectangular hole toward the end of the latch assembly, insert the pick and gently pry the tumbler piece outward. The knob at this point will start coming out of the glove box door, but then you feel another stop and you will stop. DO NOT PRY any further at that point. You have hit the 2nd Tab.

Here is what the 2nd tab will look like inside the assembly.

 

[HotRodPC]

Step #5. Now that the 2nd Tab is the same location as the first tab you depressed, go back to the same hole with the pick and push in the 2nd tab with the pick.

 

[HotRodPC]

Step #6, you should now be able to pull the tumbler completely out of the cylinder and latch mechanism.

 

[HotRodPC]

Step #7 Spin the cylinder and latch assembly counter clockwise to remove the assembly form the glove box door. And here is what you should now have after spinning the cylinder and latch assembly off of the threaded retainer. IF BY CHANCE, your latch is OK, but the mechanism is just loose, here is where you can simply tighen the mechanisn to the threaded retainer, then reinstall the tumbler and you're good to go.

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[HotRodPC]

Here is what the front of the threaded retainer will look like. If you will need to remove that too, I'd probably use a ratchet extension or large allen wrench to extract this part for the door, but usually not necessary since you are likely replacing the broken latch part itself.

And there you go !!! Its that simple once you know the little secrets of how its done. I fought with one for hours til I finally just broke it to figure out how it worked.

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[HotRodPC]

I expect the first person to get some use of this thread will be 89Suburban since he said his glove box pissed him off hanging open so he screwed it shut. I can sure realate to pissing me off hanging open. I tolerated it for a week and couldn't stand it. But I did learn how to fix it and didn't use screws, duct tape or even bubble gum to hold it closed.

 

[Old77]

I had to take mine off back when I was doing my interior in order to paint the glove box door. It was a PITA! Pretty did exactly how you wrote it up....

 

[HotRodPC]

Yep, its a PITA for certain, even with the know how now, it still can be a bit of a challenge. Just have to work with it, but the tabs are shown above and that's 90% of the whole trick. That and knowing the latch must be in the latched position to get to the tabs.

 

[89Suburban]

That is a great write up HRPC.