Ignition rack and sector gear
 

Dear Firebird enthusiasts

I recently purchased a 1969 Firebird 350 V8 manual transmission, and it is really fun. Unfortunately, the ignition lock stopped working, and I proceeded to change it. I have removed the steering wheel, the turn signal handler, the lock plate and loosened the turn signal parts. I have removed the old ignition cylinder, but because it was freely rotating (and my ignorance) it was probably removed not in the correct position. I have then inserted the new ignition cylinder, but it seems to enter in the run position and it will not go to the lock position and the key is not removable when inserted. The steering wheel lock pin will not fully extend when the ignition key is turned maximum towards the lock position. I have removed again the new cylinder and suspect there is a misalignment in the rack and sector gear. What do I do?

Attached are pictures showing the position of the sector gear, the oval part is position towards two o'clock position and it seems to me that it should be more like twelve o'clock position. The other picture shows that the locking pin will not extend fully.

It is a non-tilt Saginaw steering column.

All help appreciated!

Thank you

Bjarte Tidemann Andersen
Norway

Have you rotated the lower part of the steering column to the lock position? If it's not in the lock position it won't allow you to rotate the key all the way back and remove it. This reverse lockout was a safety feature on manual trans birds, if the car wasn't placed in reverse you couldn't remove the key until it was.

Thanks for the advice.

I rotated the column slightly and now the key goes to the lock position and I am able to remove the key. I can start and stop with the key, but I need to put it in reverse to be able to remove the key, is this normal? I might have been fooled by the old cylinder who in the end allowed my to remove the key in whatever position. If I stop in neutral or 1st gear, I am not able to remove the key unless I put the gear into reverse. The cylinder seemed to slightly enter deeper into the cylinder tunnel, but still there is a small gap. There is a difference between the old and new cylinder, the new cylinder has some sort of spring load that the old missed. I attach a picture showing the gap. Other than this, everything work.

anti theft was a big thing starting just before then

Yes, that was normal. If the rods and linkage were removed at some point you would have to manually rotate the column to remove the key. If you tried to leave it in that position after everything was removed your reverse lights would be on all the time unless you rigged up a junk-looking toggle setup. I hooked everything up correctly on my 69 so it functions as the factory made it, including the clutch safety switch, everything works perfectly.