How to remove paint from door and truck locks

[Danno]

It looks like the PO also painted the locks when he painted the car. The locks work, but are not the metallic appearance they should be. What is the safest way to remove the paint? It almost looks like he rattle canned the car with satin black as the color, but it's pretty even.

I plan to have the car repainted next year, but would like to have the locks looking normal.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

if you are trying to protect the paint, I would tape it off with some painters tape and burnish it down into the groove between the lock and the door and with the tape overlapping onto the lock, trim out the center with an exacto to remove the portion covering the lock. The lock should clean up nicely with a piece of 0000 steel wool. I wouldn't use any chemical or try and remove the lock, I think if you do you'll see the paint problems you are trying to avoid.

 

[rocket366]

I would just pull the retaining clip and remove the lock and wash it off with acetone.

sometimes I over think things

Paul;

 

[Bill73Ragtop]

Paint/ dirt / grease etc. I removed the door lock assemblies and trunk lock assembly from my 69 vert when I restored it and media blasted them with a fresh supply of fine glass bead at 45 psi. They cleaned up perfectly. To my surprise, it did not remove the dichromate finish which left them looking factory. Air hose and brake cleaner rinse removed any remaining grit from the assemblies.

I used brake cleaner on the lock cylinders and then a applied a little bit of graphite powder after cleaning.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

My concern is getting the locks out of the car without damaging the surrounding spray bomb paint job. If the paint is a single layer and you carefully cut it, it might be okay, but if it is thicker layers you may flake it off.