We have to move my wife's 1972 Roadrunner after it has sat covered in a barn for the last 11 years. I need to have the car moved this weekend, and we just discovered we do not have any keys!
My question is: How do I remove the ignition lock, so that we may move the car out of it's current resting place and into our garage, so that the long-awaited restoration can begin? Again, it MUST be removed this weekend, or there is a chance that we lose the car. I will need to turn the wheels to get the car out of where it is sitting, and into our garage, so removal of the lock is a necessity. However, I do not want to damage the column, or any other part of this car to do it.
Can anyone offer me any advice at all?? Thanks in advance for any/all help!

(I will post pictures of the beast once it is out of the barn, and up onto the trailer!)

---Russ

 

You can download a shop manual for a 72 for free over at FABO:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...al%2C+download

http://www.abodyjoe.com/pictures/Mis...Serv%20Man.pdf

AbodyJoe posted the how to an an A body, don't know how similar it is, but should give you an idea

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...d.php?t=161329

http://www.bigblockdart.com/forum/sh...umn-to-another

You could also pull the column out enough to release the steering coupler from the box, and manually move the tires with the "armstrong" method

 

Thanks! I will check it out....hopefully this is what I need

--Russ

 

Spend a $100 ? and have a locksmith come out and make a key..

 

Thought about that, but I would rather put that $100 somewhere else in the car.
Are the door keys, and ignition keys the same? It would be cheaper to remove the door lock and take it to a locksmith to have a key made.....

 

they were the same when it left the factory , no way to know if they still are the same though

 

OK, we got the car out of the barn, without having to turn the wheels. A little creative use of my Ram, chains, and a couple of wheel "skates", we were able to clear the obstructions that were in our way. Got it on the trailer, and dropped off in my driveway!
Called a 5-6 locksmith shops in the area, and if they even deal in car keys anymore, the lowest cost was $175 to make a key. The highest was $500 (that is to come out and do it on-site)!!! Needless to say, we will be coming up with an alternative method........
As promised, here are a couple of pics of the car:






Thank you, everyone for the help! I'm sure we will be having many, many more questions as the restoration progresses.

This car has sat in storage since 1999. To see the spark in the eye of my wife when see finally saw the car for the first time since then was priceless! I think this is gonna be fun.....!!!!

--Russ

 

to get to the ign you have to pull the steering wheel & turn signal switch & upper column housing & under the triangular plate holding the lever that locks the column there is a small pin hole this is where the retaining clip for the ign lock is ,push the retainer with a small pin punch & slide the lock out , you can reassemble the column as the lock inserts without the column apart . There is a code on the ign lock so a new key can be made from the code , just take the lock to an Auto based locksmith , I don't believe I have my tool here or I could make you a key & send it from here . [I used to be a locksmith ]

 

Excellent!! Thank you for the info! I figured there had to be a way to remove the lock with no key.
I'll take care of this, this weekend and get a key made. Thank you, again!

 

you will also have to remove the lock ring , there is a retainer rng , pry the ring up & drive out the roll pin & the lock plate slides up out of the way .

 

File your own key. Just get the correct blank. Get a few in vase you screw up!