Ignition Lock Cylinder Replacement?

[jzak]

Hey guys,

So i'm going to have to rebuild or replace my steering column at some time. Since i'm going to be in there anyway, I figured I might as well replace the Ignition Lock Cylinder. Should I replace it with a OEM unit, or are there better quality, more secured options out there? I know Jeep ignition locks are notorious for being able to be started with a spoon, or any amc key. I would prefer not to have that happen.

Thanks!
Josh

 

[HackFabrication]

Seeing that AMC used GM Saginaw steering parts, you could probably match up something from a similar vintage GM vehicle.

I bought a couple of AMC ignition cylinders off eBay a couple of years back. They came with the AMC keys (which I wanted).

Basically, it's fairly easy to hot wire these vehicles, so I've gone to other means to prevent unauthorized starts.

 

[Peanut Butter]

Pull a couple of wires and you can start the engine. I rebuilt my steering column and found that a little grease went a long way to making everything work better. Take a look through my build thread. This is not the easiest task. There are a million parts to deal with. If you do, take lots of pictures of every part as you take it off. You'll thank yourself many times over.

 

[DaveMueller]

Rebuilding isn't too hard but a lot like a puzzle. The upper and lower bearings at the steering wheel end are stupid expensive. I got mine from the u-pull it yard. The plastic races fall apart. 14 little balls. $53 apiece or some other nonsense.

Mine had "grease" that was more like tar. I use white lithium grease for most manually moving parts.

If you pull the column, the bolt that holds the end of the steering wheel shaft to the intermediate shaft has to be removed completely - it fits into a notch in the shaft that keeps it from coming apart.

And to answer your question, AC Delco is supposedly the better of the key cylinders and they're still made new (just replaced my '76). They seem to be unique to Jeeps, most Saginaw cylinders are held in place with a screw, Jeeps have a thin locking tab on the inboard end.