Residential & Commercial Security - Locks, Keys & Dead Bolts - Re-Keying Dexter Locks?

I am closing on a new house on Monday. All of my exterior doors have a standard lock as well as a dead bolt and are made by Dexter. As an added measure of safety, I would like to swap the locks. I know with stndard Kwiksets you can change the pins pretty easily. Has anyone ever tried this with a Dexter lock or is this something that can be done with any lock?

Thanks!
-Scott

The simple answer to your question is "yes".

Just about any door lock (knob lock or deadbolt) can be rekeyed by shuffleing the bottom pins and then code cutting a new key with cuts corresponding to the new pin possitions. However, the normal way to do it is to just dump the old pins, insert a new key, then insert new pins (tumblers) to match the new key.

As far as dexter is concerned...

The knob locks can be a bit of a pain in the butt to disassemble.

Remove the knob lock from tyhe door

Insert a working key

Pull out on the flat "spindle" and turn the key to the 6:00 position and pull the cylinder out

Remove the tru-arc ring then the little "part" thet the tru-arc ring holds in place

Remove the "C" clip

With working key inserted and turned 90 degrees, using a "follower" push the "plug" out the front of the cylinder. (You may need to use a shim to keep the top pins from droppoing down into the little gap between the follower and the plug)

The deadbolts are fairly simple.



Now... If it's a Dexter, it's pretty old. Master bought them out several years ago and produced them under the "Master" name for a few years then the abandoned the line (they mainly wanted the manufacturing equipment and facilities in the first place and the "Dexter" line was never really a great product anyway.

If it were me, I'd just replace them. Residential grade locks aren't all that expensive and you can buy them "keyed alike".

The only problem you _may_ run into would be the cross-bore for the dexter deadbolt being too small for a standard deadbolt.

If that is the case, you'll have to re-drill the hole to make it 2 1/8"
That can be done in a couple of ways. You can use a "jig" if you have access to one. You can use a tool called a "Correct-a-bore", or you can make a template but cutting a 2 1/8" hole in a piece of half inch plywood and clamping that onto the door in the propper position as a giude for your holesaw (the new deadbolt will come with a paper template to help you possition the wooden on)

Cut halfway though the door then repeat from the other side.



Hope this helps. Good luck!

Bobbyh

A locksmith could re-pin the locks for you.

Thanks for all of the (lengthy) help. I think I will give it a shot. I know that I would be able to re-key the things, I just needed the information on taking the cylinders out. They looked like they might be a pain.

So Master owns them now? I looked around and I see them noted as, basically, builder's grade Schlage. It may just be easier to swap them all out anyway.

Thanks for all of your help and Happy Holidays!

-Scott