55 chevy trunk lock question

Hey guys, I gotta newbie question for you. Since I've gotten my 55, the trunk will not close. I took a closer look and the lock cylinder is engaging the shaft that should open the "teeth", but the trunk will not lock and will open immediately if the vehicle is being driven. Currently, it is bungie corded (Gotta love the ghetto rigging, but at least its not duck tape . My question is, can I fix this using the original parts, or does this require me to replace it with a new piece? I looked in my manuals, and there really isn't much info on this. Thanks
-Cory

 

you may need to adjust the piece that it latches to on the trunk floor. loosen the bolts and move it forwards or back and see if it helps it engage. If that doesn't help take the ***embly out of the trunk and clean it. Mine was dirty and got jamped, but you say the latch works so I would lean more towards aligning the latch plate.

 

Is there anything in particular that you would recommend for cleaning it? Brake cleaner perhaps?
-Cory

 

Use carb cleaner or brake cleaner or mineral spirits or whatever you have...not too critical.

Also there's a pin on the bottom of the trunk lid, and a tab with a hole in it at the bottom of the trunk opening that it mates with. This is supposed to keep the trunk in the correct place so the latch will stay lined up. If the pin or hole are screwed up or missing the latch won't have much of a chance of working properly. let me know if you can't figure out what I'm talking about, I can get some pics.