Ignition switch / key replacement

[720inOlyWa]

As an aside, before I ask my tiny question here, a little story....

 

My wife has a POS 2010 Nissan Versa. The back latch failed early in the game, a common problem. The actuator for this latch lives in the passenger side door and it take a shit ton of fucking around to get to it and replace it. The part aint cheap neither. The dealership wanted almost $900 for the job. As a result, she drives it with a failed back latch.  My 1995 Subaru legacy wagon had an innition switch failure and the switch is hard wired into some other bullshit, so it cost me about $300 to replace it. This car has given me well over 330k miles with very little difficulty, so I gladly fixed it.

 

The ignition switch on a 720 that I am rehabbing has some issues. It is probably worn out, so I started looking for a replacement. RockAuto offers three options, raging from $10.95 to 16.95, plus shipping. Connecting the dots, we have gone from a $10.95 world, to a $900 world, since 1984. And people think I am weird for loving my little old King Cabs. Sheeeit.

 

ANYWAY, I got the switch coming this way. But it didn‘t say that it comes with a key, so I doubt it does. What is the SOP here for keying this switch? Do I take the switch to a key maker and he can cut a key for it based upon the serial number on the switch? They don‘t do anything to match the switch to my existing key, do they?

 

I figured that this was now going to be a two key truck, but I am not sure how to go about getting a key for the new switch.

 

Any advice?

[Roadster-ka]

If you got only the electrical part, and at that price seems likely, it won't have the steering lock asst. Simply one screw to replace the switch portion

[Lockleaf]

As roadster stated, the electrical and tumbler sections are seperate.

 

You can take your new tumbler to a locksmith and have them key it to your old key if you want. Should not be difficult for them. If it comes with a key code listed most locksmiths could also cut keys from that, but then you would need a door key and a different ignition key. I prefer to match them.

[720inOlyWa]

Okay, so my tumbler and ignition switch arrived this morning. So I gleefully headed out to install them, only to hit a dead end.  The switch and tumbler fit into a mounting pylon that attaches to the steering column. To get that off, so I can replace the switch and tumbler itself, I need to remove the mounting pylon. Only problem is, of the 4 screws holding the pylon on, only two are phillips head. The other two have no slot or cross in the heads at all.  (probably a security thing?) Before I just cut slots in these ‘screws‘ to back them out, I thought I would ask if there is a better way... Is it possible to remove the switch and tumbler witout removing the mounting pylon?

[tr8er]

You have the right idea. Dremel a slot.

[Lockleaf]

Yep use a dremel or hacksaw to cut a slot and the use a flat head screwdriver to remove them. Then replace them with better hardware.

[bananahamuck]

Slot with a dremel,,,,, HAH!! I say ... Cut off wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder is way faster .

[720inOlyWa]

I am like a surgeon with my dremel cutoff wheel. I cannot remember not having one, which suggests that perhaps I shouldn‘t operate one now...

 

Nah!

 

I did something today that, as soon as I recognized that I did it, made me ask myself ‘So are you gonna post THIS on your Ratsun thread, Mr. Shitferbrains?!?‘.

 

I got interrupted while taking off the steering column shrouds and generally doing the tear down to those pylon studs with no head. So I had to step away and go in the house and do something and then I came back to the truck to maybe think about grinding a slot in the blind studs. I was feeling kind of good about things because the shrouds had dismantled so easily, and everything seemed so clean and well lubricated under there. Also, as a bonus, I discovered an adjustable steering column lever. Now why the hell hadn‘t I noticed that before? Weird. Oh well, let‘s wrap this job up and see if we fixed the  choke relay problem....

 

And that‘s when it struck me like a thousand pound shit hammer: I had just dismantled the steering column in the wrong truck. The column of my daily driver- which had been totally rehabbed within the past year- was now torn down to the quick. Uhh, what?

 

Here, hold my beer....

 

Actually, that reminds me of a great column that used to appear in R/C Modeler magazine, many years ago. The column was called Mr. DumDum which admittedly, was a weak title. But the content was hilarious as it consisted of stories not unlike mine above, only told from the R/C flying field and, of course, as told by the guilty party. Mr. DumDum was both a confessional, and a good laugh at someone else‘s expense (unless it was your story). Those two things are usually funny and always good for the soul.

 

Now I wonder if that idea could translate to the forum world...

[wayno]

Insert face palm here. :lol:

[tr8er]

We've all been there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, not really, but I hope it made you feel better for a sec.

[wayno]

We've all been there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, not really, but I hope it made you feel better for a sec.

 

I can honestly say I have never pulled the wrong truck apart, I have grabbed the wrong keys before, but I have a lot of trucks.

[720inOlyWa]

In my defense, all three of my trucks are the same color, same interior, etc. Plus, I am 68 and a refugee from the Woodstock Nation, so...

[dgi]

Doesn't the switch just fasten to the back of the tumbler with two Phillips head screws?   I've never looked at a 720 system, but my 280z and 510 work that way.  I just took of the shroud, used a sort screwdriver, and voila!  No need to even remove the locking mechanism.

 

But, I'm sure a 720 owner can give you better info that I can.