Ignition Cylinder Removal - 69 Rivy

Alright, so my 1969 Riviera runs, but I believe something in my ignition cylinder is locked up. I can turn the key backwards, to lock, and to on but I cannot rotate the key far enough to engage the turning the engine. It just won't budge at all. I've tried the usual wheel jiggling and wd40 to loosen any stuck tumblers and I got nothing. So the solution is to get a new one to replace it and my issue is getting the old one out. I have removed the steering wheel and the turn signal mechanism and now I'm stuck and i was hoping someone could offer some help. Here are some pictures of where I'm currently stuck:






Can I have some help?
Please and thank you :D


EDIT: So I got the tumbler out by pushing a clip. I'm not sure of the technical terms are, but the piece that it connects to can be turned by pliers and it pretty much goes 360 degrees. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Okay, first pop out the plastic switch with the two copper leads sticking up. This is the switch for the key buzzer. Use a small flat screwdriver and lightly pry it out.. Then I believe that philip screw needs to come out. After that the cylinder should pull right out. You may need to install the key to remove the cylinder, but I'm not sure since it has been a while since I did this on a car that old.

You may want to check the position of your shifter. I think '69 was the first year that you could only turn the ignition cylinder to crank in park or neutral.

Also the ignition switch located further down the column is adjustable. It is a separate part from the cylinder.

Alright, so that screw is stripped so I'm working on getting that out, the car is in park, but my next question is what is this piece :





which engages this piece:



and and why does it continue to rotate in 360 degrees rather than attempting to start the car? It will do accessory, lock,and,on and then continue spinning and won't re-engage the red arrow mechanism until it is turn counterclockwise to accessory.

If I recall, that piece at the red arrow has teeth on it like a gear. They may be stripped the the point that it slips off when turning the key. Does your key continue to turn but not engage? Or does it stop dead before the crank position? If it stops, I would try starting it in or near neutral. If it turns but does not engage, then I would think you have severely worn or damaged parts.

It used to stop dead once it reached "on." But now it spins pretty much freely. The key cylinder is damaged as well, so I can't attempt the key start until I get a new one of those. I can see the severly worn parts as a likely suspect.

bigdave wrote:

If I recall, that piece at the red arrow has teeth on it like a gear. They may be stripped the the point that it slips off when turning the key. Does your key continue to turn but not engage? Or does it stop dead before the crank position? If it stops, I would try starting it in or near neutral. If it turns but does not engage, then I would think you have severely worn or damaged parts.

yeah... thinking about it might be time for a column swap -- lucky for you the Saginaw columns are plentiful and more or less use standard parts.

Albertj

Tyler, I think a used column , like albert said might be your best bet. It may fit from most gm cars for many years and shouldn't be all that expensive.

I guess i should start calling around the junkyards then huh, haha. Thanks for the help guys.

bigdave wrote:

Tyler, I think a used column , like albert said might be your best bet. It may fit from most gm cars for many years and shouldn't be all that expensive.

a salvage yard can use the "hollander interchange" to find columns that fit and/or have matching guts. So you can keep your outsides and put "new" insides in - your problem seems to maybe be someone was in there before you and patched instead of repaired.

Albertj

Upon remove the outer casing I broke a couple of pieces (oops ) but upon doing so I found the culprit as to why it wouldn't start:



That yellowish orange PLASTIC piece is broken. So the key could get to on, but when it was turned to engage the starter it would slip. Currently I can start my car with pliers, just can't steer anywhere.

Again I want to thank you guys for the help and advice. I probably would've given up on it and paid some mechanic a large sum if it weren't for your support and interest.