Dear Corvette members,

I have a problem and I need to explain a bit.

I have finally achieved my life long childhood Dream; my father has finally let me have his 1986 Corvette. I have lusted after this car since I first laid eyes on it. My Father bought it new and it was his Dream to own a Corvette.

It is a 1986 Automatic with no mods, my father is not as nuts as I am. Nor has it run in about 10 years, my father is not as mechanically inclined as I am. I understand and fully accept that it is going to be one Charley Foxtrot after another to get the car running. It has been sitting in a garage North of Chicago waiting for me. Well the wait is over.

Now the fun part, I am moving from Chicago to Texas and I need to get the car down there. I bought it a beautiful garage for my Corvette to live in, which just happens to be attached to a house that my wife likes.

Fun part #2 the Keys (and all of my tools) are packed in a box in the back of a 16-foot container sitting in a warehouse awaiting the “Send to Texas” signal.

To add even more enjoyment to the mix my parents are also moving, and they want the car out of the garage, so they can stack boxes.

Now my Dad said that he found the spare key, but it does not turn the ignition, so he might be wrong. The ignition was changed at some point (chip fell out).

I need to get this car into neutral, so I can have it moved to a friend’s garage for 3 weeks and then have it shipped.

Here are my questions;

1. If the spare key that my Dad found really is the correct one, why is the ignition not turning? Do I need the Battery charged? (for the chip) or is it really the wrong one?
2. Is it possible to drill the tumblers out just to break the lock and pop it into neutral?
3. Can I use a long screw driver to bust the ignition and pop it into neutral?
4. Can I have a new key made based on the VIN#?
5. Can I have a new key made based on the ignition if I take it to someone?
6. Am I totally screwed until I unbury and unbox my container?
a. What if THAT key does not work and it is the ignition itself?
7. Holy Hell, I’m rambling
8. How difficult and expensive would it be to just replace the ignition? Please remember all my tools are packed.
9. Is their a neutral safety switch hidden on the car that will allow me to put it into neutral?
10. How hard/feasible is it to disconnect the driveshaft to get it rolling?
11. How bad would the damage be if I just had the tow truck driver drag it out of the garage, locked up wheels and all?

Any and all ideas are welcome at this point.

I have been watching this community from the sidelines for years. Gaining knowledge, insights and the wisdom of the Forum Members mistakes. I know what this community is capable of.

I need all the combined know how of my fellow Corvette enthusiasts to help me out. I am so close to my goal it would totally suck to fail this close to the finish line.

Please help me take my dream to its new home.

Sincerely,
Adam

 

If your Father replaced the 'KEY TUMBLER/LOCK CYLINDER' you would have the present condition if the SPARE he found was an original. Without being very destructive I'd think removing/disabling 'park lock' cable would allow you to 'roll & tow' - The steering wheel front wheels are locked in position still.

Maybe someone with an early model with an AT can mention 'degree of difficulty'.
You wouldn't need to borrow that many tools.

I ain't never needed to be there.

Another solution would be a towing company that had wheel dollies OR you could rent wheel dollies to move it out of the garage. I've a friend with wheel dollies and I might choose that option.

Rent/buy a set of these

https://www.tylertool.com/gojak-g5211-5-200-lb--capacity-vehicle-dolly/gjkng5211,default,pd.html?ref=pla&zmam=3 1282435&zmas=47&zmac=723&zmap=gjkng5211& gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk7KRhqiD3QIViCSGCh0ujA ISEAYYCSABEgJsbvD_BwE

 

At Last--

Why not contact a locksmith and have him cut a key to the ignition, I know it's a different option, but one that isn't destructive, nor time consuming on your part. And it gives you a functional key.

D.

 

I agree, locksmith. But unless you have the code they can't cut a new key. Best way to go is have them replace the lock cylinder. They come to you and do it right there. Mine was $120.

 

If you just need to get it to move, you can always disconnect the transmission linkage under the car and put the trans in neutral. Use the parking brake to keep it in place. Once you're under it, it's pretty quick. Of course the steering wheel will still be locked. You could also put casters under all 4 wheels. Places like Harbor Freight sell them pretty cheap.

 

Hi.
I'm pretty good at picking locks. (No, I'm not a cat burglar. I work in a school where the teachers lose their keys......all of the time.)
Anyway, I can try and pick the lock, that way you have no damage.
Private message me, as I live in the Chicagoland area.
Keith

 

Most experienced tow drivers know how to "******" cars with minimal damage. With not having key without code the column is coming apart. Passkey will be added hassle since it will take up to 43 minutes to figure out which blank. 15 blanks 3 minute time outs 43 minutes minimum if it takes 15 tries. 86 is too old for dealer to recover code from GM. If your lucky, codes are written down somewhere maybe owners manual.

 

I want to say thank you to everyone who offered advice. I think I might try and replace the entire unit itself.

A question I have is, Do I need to get a new ignition that has the chip or will any non-chip one do?

Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
Adam

 

There's a lot of focus in this thread, including by the OP, on the ignition when the problem stated was "I need to get this car into neutral"

To get it in neutral you disconnect the park lock cable from the shifter. About a 10-minute job.

 

Have you tried a dealer?

Most Chevy dealers will cut a new key (with pellet if needed) for your car based on the VIN number. The cost is quite low also. I think it was about $30 for a pellet type key when I had it done a few years ago. They will need the vin # and proof of ownership before they will make the key for you.

If you know which pellet, you can buy the key blank online for about $5 or $6 and the dealer will cut it for free.

If you just want to get it to neutral, the suggestions above about the linkage is a quick cheap solution.

Good luck.

 

If you buy new cylinder which comes with code key, no pellet, key code is stamped on it. It will turn but won't start car. It is used to trace pellet key, and should stored where you can find it. I would write or stamp blank number on it. There are 15 different pellet blanks, dealer and locksmith will have tester to read old keys, test cylinder, and substitute pellet values to determine which blank. There is a 3 min time out between tries. 2 minutes and 59 secs resets to 3 minutes before you can try again, so it can take a while.