Hi Guys.  Took the glove box lock off my 81 to fix the old "top right glove box hangs out" problem.  Didnt have too much trouble getting the lock off.  Put it all back together, and the lock insert wouldnt go back in all the way.  dont know if I put it in backwards (if thats possible) or what.  Now i cant get it to release to pull it back out or go all the way in.  Ideas?

Sorry to say, my only suggestion is gunna be to get a bigger hammer....
I'm not up on the glove box locks on these things...never had to fool with any that I remember. There are others here with glove boxes that have....I'm sure someone will have the answer you need....perhaps Darryl(sarge), or one of the many others with the later cars...

Hmm, never heard of a lock cylinder not going all the way back in. 

|UPDATED|9/20/2014 6:52:46 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Thanks Joel and Sarge both.  Sarge, I had the article you suggested along with a bunch of other stuff, just nothing showed the lock going back in.  I must have been brain dead when i went to put it back together!  I watched a couple Youtube videos and saw where I went wrong.  I had already considered the "hammer approach" Joel suggested, and had found 1 other guy on a different Chevy forum who had done the same thing and had to break it to get it out.  It was the original lock and still matched the door and storage compartment so i wanted to avoid that if possible.  Soooo..after spending most of the day and many colorful metaphors, I finally got it to release and drop back enough that I could unscrew the retaining ring.  Then it all fell out.  Went back together like a charm and works perfectly.  Advice to others:  "Double check and make sure the tumblers face the little window before reassembly."!  Thanks again Guys.  This is the best forum on the net!

I hate it when that happens! Glad ya got it apart, and back together without the mallet effect....

Glad you got it back together without carnage. 

Exactly.  Had em facing the left instead of the right so the little springs were pushing them away from the window.  You don't really want the tabs and the springs to come out either.  Fortunately, my wife had more confidence in me than I did!