People continue to call the resistor pellet a "chip" when it has absolutely no electronic components other than a fixed resistor. There is nothing to "wear out" internally. The only thing to destroy them is over voltage or physical mechanical damage.
Key
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In this thread you asked if you need? The least expensive approach for you would have been to do a "resistance by-pass" at the connector and use the cylinder you have now "less the wires"
Regardless of what you use you'll need a key with the proper blade length and groove cut for the keyway. A VATS key regardless of resistance will work, any of the cheaper "on-line" values cut to the mechanical code of the "work-key".
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Team Owner
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Trial and error with a VATS Interrogator or using a potentiometer that is most frequently found in a 10K max value, that will NOT do a VATS 15 value of 11800 but it can be accomplished. If you've got identification and the VIN confirming ownership there's likely no less expensive way (or least effort required) if GM still has the broadcast on file. Not all years are available.
Using a potentiometer requires the appropriate "time out" and nearly everyone gets impatient and rushes the timing so they "miss" the correct value the first go round. I've seen it frequently, one guy multiple times on different cars, he's likely still not learned.
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From: Anaheim CA
There are two different versions of the VATS key and corresponding ignition cylinder. The second generation key is about 1/8" longer than the earlier version. There was a recall on the ignition cylinders around 1987 and the earlier cylinders were replaced with the later "long key" cylinders.
My recollection is that the contacts in the cylinder got corroded and the later ones were silver plated to prevent that. Makes no sense to me, as silver very easily oxidizes. I would believe gold plating, the standard way to make a corrosion proof connection in the electronics industry. If you're interested, you can look in the key slot and see the VATS key contacts.
My recollection is that the contacts in the cylinder got corroded and the later ones were silver plated to prevent that. Makes no sense to me, as silver very easily oxidizes. I would believe gold plating, the standard way to make a corrosion proof connection in the electronics industry. If you're interested, you can look in the key slot and see the VATS key contacts.
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http://www.digikey.com/product-searc...ce-mount/65769
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The type of resistor in the key is called a "chip resistor" in the electronics industry. You can buy lots of them at Digi-Key:
http://www.digikey.com/product-searc...ce-mount/65769
http://www.digikey.com/product-searc...ce-mount/65769
Thank you I worked at G.M. for over 30 years and that what we called them. But I did not want to see another tangent. 
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Melting Slicks
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We can play semantics all day, but in the real world, a "chip" would generally refer to an electronic component comprising an abundance of transistors. In "geek talk", a chip resistor is named such simply because of its style of manufacture. The FSM seems to be the widely accepted "bible" on this forum. In section 8A of my 1992 manual, I can find numerous places where it is referred to as a resistor pellet and not one where they call it a chip resistor.
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We can play semantics all day, but in the real world, a "chip" would generally refer to an electronic component comprising an abundance of transistors. In "geek talk", a chip resistor is named such simply because of its style of manufacture. The FSM seems to be the widely accepted "bible" on this forum. In section 8A of my 1992 manual, I can find numerous places where it is referred to as a resistor pellet and not one where they call it a chip resistor.
And were off 
I don't know what I would do without you.