Ignition Lock

[Pat_in_L.A.]

OK I was all ready to split for a one week vacation to Utah (dinosaur fossil hunting) on Wednesday morning and I headed towards my 2R to drive to my last day of work for a week on Tuesday.

I go to stick the key in the ignition lock and it won't go in. After several attempts I look inside the lock and see metal parts hanging in the middle of the lock, stopping the key from being inserted (the tumblers fell apart, I assume). Thank goodness for having spare SVO's. I needed an excuse to exercise the 85.5 anyways.

Now I know the procedure for replacing the switch (insert key, turn to accessory, push the little button and turn past accessory to slide out the assembly), but what does one do if you can not insert the key?

I was told that there's a circlip that can be removed at the back of the assembly that I can remove but I won't get to look at it till next week when I get back. I'll check in here from Utah to see if anyone has any relevations.

BTW, anyone who suggests that I call a locksmith will be put on my ignore list for taking the easy way out.

[NY eric]

Down town

I am sure if you stop downtown a freindly neighborhood kid can yank your lock out and start your car in about 5 min or less without the key.

[louverandy]

Lock removal

The same thing happened to me,

As painfull as it sounds take a drill to it, eventually you will be able to turn the center section to the on position, then with the covers removed you can push the button to remove to lock.

With increasingly larger drill bits it should only take 5 minutes or so.

Just don't drill too deep!!

[Ken Potter]

I have 2 "bare" columns I will look at this weekend to see if I can find out how to pull the tumblers. One has already had the lock punched so I have a comparison.

[Eyelawdoc]

Sorry to hear you're having mechanical problems with your daily driver. At least you have another car to drive.

Have a good vacation, Pat! Maybe you can find another SVO or two in Utah that needs a good home. Lol!

[SVOeric]

I've had that happen before too (not on SVO's tho) ---

I also used a drill

I like power tools

[Pat_in_L.A.]

OK I got to St. George and brought beer, scotch, and for the first time on a vacation, my trusty dog-eared shop manual, haha.

Thanks NY eric for the tip. Those kids usually take more than just the ignition lock, though.

Andy, I can do a drill. I've taken out the tamper proof screws before so I have previous experience. I'll hunt down a spare column first and look for the circlip solution which a friend suggested, if that's applicable.

Thanks Ken in advance for whatever you can turn up.

Eyelawdoc not to worry. I just got an Email from a fellow SVO owner buddy who knows of an 86 within a couple miles of me whose owner wants it to have a new home. Oh, my wife's gonna KILL me!

SVOeric, you need a BINFORD tee shirt.

[Eyelawdoc]

Only reason why I said anything is that 2 weeks ago I went up to Lake Nacemiento near Paso Robles for a weekend of R & R. Wouldn't you know it, I was minding my own business reading the Photo Ads by the lake and out jumped an 84.5 Mustang GT Turbo Convertible (one of only 412 ever built) in red, no less. I'm sure you know the rest of the story all too well! It now has a a new home with me.

Pat Milburn
____________________________
1957 Tbird
1964 XKE Coupe ( 2 )
1981 Jeep CJ-5 with 350 small block
1984 SVO 2A Original Owner
1984.5 Mustang GT Turbo Convertible
1988 Mark VII LSC
1991 GMC Syclone 14,4XX original miles

[DON86SVO]

Lock cylinder

Don't bother to look for a clip. The only clip is behind the lock cylinder to retain the gear. It keeps the little brass gear from moving when you remove the cylinder. You have to remove the lock cylinder to get to it. Drill it out but be careful. Everything is aluminum or pot metal, so go slow and don't drill any more than you have to to turn the lock.

[Ken Potter]

Drill it is...

I couldn't find anything either for removing the cylinder so I guess it's drill time. There was a stamped steel piece that I couldn't figure out what it did... I think it might have something to do with the tilt function... Good luck

[Pat_in_L.A.]

Thanks for taking the time to look, Ken.

The Ford factory shop manual has all the directions for replacing the lock in two categories.

1) with a working key and lock assembly.
2) without a key or with a bad lock assembly.

The magic depth not to be exceeded with a 3/8" drill bit is 1 3/4". It also mentions a 1/8" drill bit for the pin but I'm going to see if I can get around that.

I got back home from Utah a short while ago. While there I checked parts on the net at AutoZone. They had the chrome ignition lock, LC14070($11.99) but surprisingly enough, for $12.99 they had a second one listed for the SVO in black satin finish. part # LC14090. I picked one up while driving through Mesquite Nevada on the way home. So now I'm all ready to tackle the task tomorrow.

[svoJake]

almost 10 years later and the advise still holds up. One ignition replaced super easy! Thanks again svoca.

[Pat_in_L.A.]

Kind of neat how the search function works, huh!

[Meotchh]

I just need to know Pat... Did you ever find any dinosaur fossils?

[Pat_in_L.A.]

I found some, but they had Bill Hatfield's finger prints on them!