Steering Column Lock

IDon'tKnow · 10-26-2009, 10:10 PM

Hey guys, I'm going to pick up a parts car up tomorrow but the guy doesn't have a key for it. Any tips on not locking up the steering column - I.e. Disabling it.

Short of lifting up the rear (I'm sure that would take at least four guys) and lining the car up with the trailer, I don't think the car is going to get loaded up without turning the steering wheel.

Thanks in advance guys.

Sh0ty · 10-26-2009, 11:47 PM

Other than removing the lock cylinder and the steering lock, or using massive torque to break it, keys are the way to go. As a matter of fact, keys are the way to go before removing and breaking things :P Perhaps you can line up the trailer with the car?

IDon'tKnow · 10-27-2009, 12:30 AM

The car is sandwiched between two other inoperable cars, and I know that at least one of them doesn't even have wheels on it. The tires on the parts car are flat so pushing it up onto a trailer is going to be a royal pain. I suppose that I and a couple of buddies of mine could lift the front and rotate the car out of it's position and then push it forward onto the trailer.

The car is an 87 so not all of the parts are going to be usefull to me. I figure I'll pull the sheet metal I need, the caliper brackets and rotors, the taillights (I am gonna need a passenger side), the dome light, front strut brace, fuse box, and a few other small things.

Then I'll start parting it out to forum members. Once that's done it's off to the crusher.

sabing · 10-27-2009, 01:31 AM

hotwire that bad boy

Sh0ty · 10-27-2009, 10:37 PM

Great, but how do you propose him to hotwire the steering lock, a purely mechanical system?

IDon'tKnow · 10-27-2009, 11:39 PM

Well I lucked out, I suppose.... If such words could possibly be applied to my experience with moving that car. The column lock was already broken, so turning the steering wheel was not an issue.

The transmission shop behind my store is also a UHAUL renter. I had supposed that they would just lend me one for a few hours. They would have but they didn't have one. I didn't want to dish out $60 to rent one so my buddy and I decided to just strap the car to his truck and tow it 20 miles into town.

Of course that required the car to have functioning tires. All of the tires were flat and dry rotted so I pulled two tires off of my running car, the spare from the frunk, and then the parts car's spare as well.

Packed the hydraulic jack, air compressor, impact wrench, chain, strap, ect.... and headed out to get the car. Somehow forgot to pack the air hose, so the compressor and my air tools were useless.

Had been sitting so long that the wheels needed coaxing by a truck to start rolling again. In order to do that we had to put the wheels back onto a van that was blocking the mr2 in, and pull it out of the way with the truck.

Once we got it rolling we realized that the spare tire didn't have enough air in it so we stopped at the first gas station we came by a couple miles down the road. They didn't have an air compressor. By now we're riding on rim. Next gas station is a few miles down the road. We creep Tobit going 20mph. It does have air but by now the spare is seperated from the rim so we can't just air it up. Time to try a dry rotted flat spot tire.... Holds air fine.... swap that on and we're on our way.

It's raining. I'm steering and braking the mr2 and there is no battery in it which means no windshield wipers. My head is sticking out the window to make sure I stay on the road and the truck is kick dirty road water up into my face and eyes the whole time.

A few miles from our destination and something sporadic happens - chain comes undone and I'm cruising solo. Both passenger side wheels lock up because the chain is stuck under them. This is rush hour traffic. Luckily that happens when there is an opening for me to pull across oncoming taffic into a parking lot. We nudge the car a bit to free the chain and get her set go go again...... more dirty water face and eyes for me.

Buddy is around an hour late for picking up his fiancé at this point. He's whipped. We reach our destination. It's still raining. We get the car pushed up onto the back dock of my store. Alright Michael, you're on your own from here.

Get the wheels swapped back onto the correct cars and it's homeward bound for a nice soak; the good kind.

I love AW11s.

10-26-2009, 10:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
IDon'tKnow but I can find out. Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: DC Posts: 392 Thanks: 6 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Steering Column Lock Hey guys, I'm going to pick up a parts car up tomorrow but the guy doesn't have a key for it. Any tips on not locking up the steering column - I.e. Disabling it. Short of lifting up the rear (I'm sure that would take at least four guys) and lining the car up with the trailer, I don't think the car is going to get loaded up without turning the steering wheel. Thanks in advance guys.

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10-26-2009, 11:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sh0ty Armchair Racer Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Novi, MI Posts: 1,273 Thanks: 22 Thanked 57 Times in 54 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	Other than removing the lock cylinder and the steering lock, or using massive torque to break it, keys are the way to go. As a matter of fact, keys are the way to go before removing and breaking things :P Perhaps you can line up the trailer with the car?

10-27-2009, 12:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
IDon'tKnow but I can find out. Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: DC Posts: 392 Thanks: 6 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	The car is sandwiched between two other inoperable cars, and I know that at least one of them doesn't even have wheels on it. The tires on the parts car are flat so pushing it up onto a trailer is going to be a royal pain. I suppose that I and a couple of buddies of mine could lift the front and rotate the car out of it's position and then push it forward onto the trailer. The car is an 87 so not all of the parts are going to be usefull to me. I figure I'll pull the sheet metal I need, the caliper brackets and rotors, the taillights (I am gonna need a passenger side), the dome light, front strut brace, fuse box, and a few other small things. Then I'll start parting it out to forum members. Once that's done it's off to the crusher.

10-27-2009, 01:31 AM	#4 (permalink)
sabing Plasma Donor for HDTV's Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alberta Posts: 295 Thanks: 13 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	hotwire that bad boy

10-27-2009, 10:37 PM	#5 (permalink)
Sh0ty Armchair Racer Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Novi, MI Posts: 1,273 Thanks: 22 Thanked 57 Times in 54 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (3/100% )	Great, but how do you propose him to hotwire the steering lock, a purely mechanical system?

10-27-2009, 11:39 PM	#6 (permalink)
IDon'tKnow but I can find out. Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: DC Posts: 392 Thanks: 6 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Well I lucked out, I suppose.... If such words could possibly be applied to my experience with moving that car. The column lock was already broken, so turning the steering wheel was not an issue. The transmission shop behind my store is also a UHAUL renter. I had supposed that they would just lend me one for a few hours. They would have but they didn't have one. I didn't want to dish out $60 to rent one so my buddy and I decided to just strap the car to his truck and tow it 20 miles into town. Of course that required the car to have functioning tires. All of the tires were flat and dry rotted so I pulled two tires off of my running car, the spare from the frunk, and then the parts car's spare as well. Packed the hydraulic jack, air compressor, impact wrench, chain, strap, ect.... and headed out to get the car. Somehow forgot to pack the air hose, so the compressor and my air tools were useless. Had been sitting so long that the wheels needed coaxing by a truck to start rolling again. In order to do that we had to put the wheels back onto a van that was blocking the mr2 in, and pull it out of the way with the truck. Once we got it rolling we realized that the spare tire didn't have enough air in it so we stopped at the first gas station we came by a couple miles down the road. They didn't have an air compressor. By now we're riding on rim. Next gas station is a few miles down the road. We creep Tobit going 20mph. It does have air but by now the spare is seperated from the rim so we can't just air it up. Time to try a dry rotted flat spot tire.... Holds air fine.... swap that on and we're on our way. It's raining. I'm steering and braking the mr2 and there is no battery in it which means no windshield wipers. My head is sticking out the window to make sure I stay on the road and the truck is kick dirty road water up into my face and eyes the whole time. A few miles from our destination and something sporadic happens - chain comes undone and I'm cruising solo. Both passenger side wheels lock up because the chain is stuck under them. This is rush hour traffic. Luckily that happens when there is an opening for me to pull across oncoming taffic into a parking lot. We nudge the car a bit to free the chain and get her set go go again...... more dirty water face and eyes for me. Buddy is around an hour late for picking up his fiancé at this point. He's whipped. We reach our destination. It's still raining. We get the car pushed up onto the back dock of my store. Alright Michael, you're on your own from here. Get the wheels swapped back onto the correct cars and it's homeward bound for a nice soak; the good kind. I love AW11s.