Ignition Cylinder Replacement (Without the Key)(With Pics)
 

Ok so recently I lost the key to my Silver Truck. Been looking for a week and a half so i decided i had to do something. The normal precedure for doing this is tearing it down to the cylinder( which is hardly enough work to be called a tear down). Then turn the key to on and press the silver button on the bottom side of the cylinder and it will release.

But like stated before i had no key so here was my remedy. I have heard that you can drill the pin out which seems to be the best and easiest option but you cant hardly do it without ruining the housing that encloses the key cylinder.
Here is the hole and pin i am talking about. Unless you fill like taring your steering column down completly then i dont recommend screwing this up to bad.
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/100_0296.jpg



So here is my solution:

Here is what it will look like obviously.
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/100_0291.jpg

Pop of the chrome piece or black what ever one you got. Its easy.
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/100_0299.jpg

Make sure you get just the chrome piece off and just the rest of the key cylinder is in the column.

What a idiot i didnt take a picture of just the cylinder in the column:-X19

Take a 3/8 drill bit and a 5/16 and start drilling away right where your key would go. I used 3/8 to get a big whole in the center. and 5/16 to get more off center to the sides. The point of this would be to get all the pins gone so the cylinder will move. After you got all this done the cylinder will turn and move to the on position, with your help of course.(I had to use pliers to grip it good.)

So you can imagine the cylinder in the column:-X21
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/100_0295.jpg


This is what mine looked like after i got done mutilating it.
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/100_0305.jpg

Put the new cylinder in like you would a new one regularly now.

The Man posing for a couple pics after I went out and gave him a nice breathing session after sitting for a week and half.
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/100_0326.jpg
My bumper is bent i know. i need to find a new one:-X19
http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...k/100_0327.jpg

O ya and by the way i didnt write this to be a fully informative tech article, just to get the wheels turnin g for something to do if you are stuck with out the keys to your truck or something. And i assume ya know how to swap key cylinders and understand how the system works.

I have two sets of keys and keep an aditional square-head key with me at all times just in case.

ya the key i was using was my spare key.lol so when i lost that i was screwed.

Thats what I do when I have to replace the ignition lock, drill them out. So far I have not found any thing better than that execpt for a car thief....

I have heard of using a slide puller, but I think that will mung up the colum when you bang it out.

ya i could have called someone, but who really wants to give a guy that steals vehicles the idea that he can still yours and he has successfully done it before. Plus what ever a car theif does, it probaly does not go back together too clean.

You'll probly find the keys tomorrow.

:-bangheadi know but that is just these things work out.lol

But it was only 45 minutes of work so it is what it is.lol

Years ago, I got 2 Chrysler Lebarons turbo convertables. No key in both cars. First car the lock drilled out no problems but the 2nd car.... the drill bit got stuck inside the lock and we were trying to get it out with out breaking off. Was there for about a hour then a cop showed up, with out even looking up at him, my friend replyed to the cop: ".....what's it look like we are doing....but we are not good at it....." Hand cuffs came out really fast till I show the bill of sale and told what's going on, only after my friend got cuffed and stuffed!!!

Wound up busting the colum out as the drill bit did break off inside..... so watch out drilling them out!