Ignition Key Question
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 109
Likes: 18
From: Tulsa Oklahoma
Ignition Key Question
I recently purchase a wrecked 87 model from an insurance pool, car was hit in the back, with no damage to the front. Insurance company managed to loose the keys for the car in the process of selling it off. I'm trying to get an ignition key for the car so I can at least see how the engines runs and such before parting it out, or selling the car. Spoke with a couple of Chevy dealers about a key, both told me their database only goes back to 1990. Checked with a couple of locksmiths, over $200 from both of them to cut a key. Suggestions? Ideas?
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 17,640
Likes: 1
From: Lenoir City TN
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Well the 87 had VATS, and w/o the original key it will be hard to determine the resistance value, I think, unless there is a way to do it w/o the key, what you might do is replace the iginition cyl switch, I just did mine, $38, it comes with a dummy key, then do a search and get the resistance values for the VATS 1-15, and then purchase a resistor at radio shack for each corresponding value and insert each resistor one at a time in the plug that the cyl plugs into, and try to start the car, if it does not start go to the next resistor, the wrong resistor will flash the security light on the panel. The resistors are cheap couple of bucks, sounds a lot cheaper than $200 though you have to pull the steering wheel, it's not bad. Just my thoughts.
Bob
Bob
Last edited by Bob CTS; Jan 16, 2006 at 12:30 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 848
Likes: 1
From: 1992 LT1 6 speed Cayman Islands
I think the vats bypass that MA sells is just a resistor that plugs in, you still need to have the resistance value for the oroginal key in order to order it.
You can get the vats programmed out of the computer though.
Jerris
You can get the vats programmed out of the computer though.
Jerris
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 39
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