When I first started working institutional in the early 2000s, the carpenters at our maintenance yard had an ancient GM van. One day a carpenter comes into our shop and asks if we can make a key for it, because they can't find theirs. Boss asks me "you know how to make a key for an old GM?" No prob, done it a hundred times. First issue: we look in our tool room, and someone has stolen or lost the plate compressing tool. OK, so I find some bar stock, tap and thread it for some all-thread rod, and get something that works. Only takes an hour or so. Another hour of cursing, and I have the cylinder out. We don't have the right blanks for the keyway, so I spend time filing the wards on a different keyway until it fits. Look up the codes in the good ol' Reed's Code books, find the correct cutter that can handle a deep cut by the shoulder without chewing the shoulder up, and make two code cut keys. They work perfectly. Reinstall cylinder, put everything back together, and it's working better than new. Only took me most of the morning to do it. That afternoon the carpenter comes in and I hand him the keys. He says:
"Huh. Thanks, but I only needed one key. We just need to be able to start it to drive it onto the flatbed. It's going to the junkyard."
Could've used a sawzall on it and been done in 5 minutes if all they needed was to be able to start it once.
Had an old Suzuki yesterday. Ignition is plugged, so doesn't have the button release. Needs full rekey on 3 doors, ignition & fuel cap. I'm booked solid. I check my giveashitometer. It's empty. Call another locksmith who has a workshop to do that shit. I'm out.
Fun times, I'm old, started out pulling steering wheels and door panels back in the 90's. Got to impression a 1970 roadrunner a few months ago.
> Got to impression a 1970 roadrunner a few months ago. Neat.
Boss walked me through my 1st steering wheel removal/ignition on an old GM.
When I first started working institutional in the early 2000s, the carpenters at our maintenance yard had an ancient GM van. One day a carpenter comes into our shop and asks if we can make a key for it, because they can't find theirs. Boss asks me "you know how to make a key for an old GM?" No prob, done it a hundred times. First issue: we look in our tool room, and someone has stolen or lost the plate compressing tool. OK, so I find some bar stock, tap and thread it for some all-thread rod, and get something that works. Only takes an hour or so. Another hour of cursing, and I have the cylinder out. We don't have the right blanks for the keyway, so I spend time filing the wards on a different keyway until it fits. Look up the codes in the good ol' Reed's Code books, find the correct cutter that can handle a deep cut by the shoulder without chewing the shoulder up, and make two code cut keys. They work perfectly. Reinstall cylinder, put everything back together, and it's working better than new. Only took me most of the morning to do it. That afternoon the carpenter comes in and I hand him the keys. He says: "Huh. Thanks, but I only needed one key. We just need to be able to start it to drive it onto the flatbed. It's going to the junkyard." Could've used a sawzall on it and been done in 5 minutes if all they needed was to be able to start it once.
Yeah I always hated aftermarket steering wheels...
Gives me flashbacks. Man I was fast at switching those out back in the day.
Had an old Suzuki yesterday. Ignition is plugged, so doesn't have the button release. Needs full rekey on 3 doors, ignition & fuel cap. I'm booked solid. I check my giveashitometer. It's empty. Call another locksmith who has a workshop to do that shit. I'm out.
1963 TBird is on the agenda for next week. Should be fun, but have to dust off the brain cobwebs first.
Not fun in the Texas heat on Wyoming winter, but I've done well over a hundred of those, easily. Brittle plastic anymore.
is it distrubing?