FirebirdUSX

How many keys these cars got from the dealer/factory

I mean i have 4 keys with the black plastic cover on them (ignition keys i guess) and another 4 normal ones for doors and trunk (dunno if they should be universal or not since the door lock needs to be replaced) .Was there a standard for the number of keys?

Also since I have that door lock problem ,were the keys from ignition also good on the doors (like modern cars these days)?VATS seems to only care about the chip on the key not how the key looks.

cheers and thanks in advance.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I got 2 ea.

Ignition ones were square w black plastic covers; door ones were oval w no plastic covers. Ign key fit ign only. Door one fit everything else (hatch, doors, box in rear, etc.)

Back in those days, keys had letters, that corresponded to the grooves along their length. Most letters would only go into a lock for the same letter. All cars in a given year got the same letters. They ran from A/B (ign/door) to J/K and then re-started. If memory serves, there was one combo that weren't adjacent letters; E/H maybe.

You are correct: VATS only cares about the resistance of the resistor in the key, not its shape. As long as it goes into the lock and has the right resistor it will work.

Replacing just one door lock would create a real PITA. I'd avoid that if possible.

FirebirdUSX

Ok so why I have 4 ignition keys is a mystery ,thou since they all work ,have the same shape,and same resistence chip , they must be somehow "original".2 have round shaped heads wrapped in the black plastic and 2 are square in the same plastic.

Why give them a lock if all cars got the same key ...boggles the mind if you think about it.Guess they had locks to prevent animals sleeping in over night

I know I have to change all locks .The driver side lock opens with a screwdriver...dunno if thats normal but usually cars that were broken into the past open that way.The right door seems to have the lock disconected .The car has central locking with remote control from the alarm system so probably kept one door in case the car runs out of battery.The trunk only opens with a key.

83Z28/L69

The 87 came with 3 sets, 2 metal set of keys with the black plastic covers, and one plastic set that are in a business card looking thing for your wallet.

FirebirdUSX

so we got 4 ,3 and 2 sets till now...anyone with 5

guess each car had more than 4,3 or 2 and maybe dealers gave away keys at random but why would they keep a spare?

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

Mine also came with 2 sets,could be someone made some extra spares.

RedLeader289

iTrader: (2)

I'm guessing someone made extras.

Also, I'm not positive about all of them having black covers, my keys are cut from NOS blanks and don't have the black covers.

Are you sure about any vats key working regardless of how it's cut? that doesn't make any sense, my understanding is that they worked together. i.e. the vats chip had to be present AND the key had to be cut right in order to turn.

Either way, glad I have a pre-vats car.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

NOS blank stock keys don't have the plastic covers but you can add them by just sliding them on. Original keys had the plastic molded on and unless you cut or melt it off, its staying.

If you buy a ign lock from GM it comes with the plastic keys. I just got one for one of my VATS cars and they had the molded on plastic key covers.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I didn't say they all had the same KEY. What I DID say was, they were cut from the same BLANKS, in each year, and that they changed the blanks from one year to the next.

And of course, VATS doesn't somehow invalidate the tumbler mechanism of the lock; so yeah, not only does the key have to be cut from the right blank so it will GO INTO the lock in the first place, but it ALSO has to have the right teeth cut in it so that it will turn, AND it has to have the right resistor. 3 features in that system, that the key must match the lock and other security devices.

You're right, I forgot about the credit-card spare that they started supplying in the late 80s. So I guess you could say, 2½ sets.

FirebirdUSX

the driver side door unlocks with a screwdriver (thats not normal ,no matter how bad people think the locks are i refuse to think thats normal) and the ignition seems to work with all 4 ignition keys (has VATs) even thou 2 keys have square head and other two are round shaped all wrapped in plastic.The square ones seem to be abit longer than the other two but all work.Also the the plastic handles on the ignition switch (i dont know how is that called) are broken ...probably someone forced turned the ignition without a key.Even though it has VATs it also locks the steering wheel .

If the car would not have vats and the ignition/steering wheel would not be locked the car could be started without key I guess.

mantaguy

iTrader: (5)

I think you need new locks and ignition switch

83Z28/L69

Also sounds like the VATS has been bypassed

RedLeader289

iTrader: (2)

yeah....

Sounds like at somepoint someone got that car moving w/out the right keys.
I'd find a set of new locks all around

FirebirdUSX

yea thats why I made this thread to know how many keys came with the car and if they were universal (door/ignition/trunk).I want to get the full set but the ignition switch i found is not black like the one in my car.Maybe sounds stupid but i want it to be black ,after all if I ship stuffs to europe I want them to be close to original as possible

scottmoyer

There was no VATS in 1987.

sonjaab

2 each with my 85 and 87 T/As when I got them new........................

StevenB L98/LS1

Only got 2 sets from factory new on my 91 Trans Am L98

FirebirdUSX

its a 88

so the square head ones are original and each had 2 normals ones.
On classic industries the whole set for doors and trunk have 1 key and if you want more you have to buy blanks ,and for some reason they are not goldish like the OEM ones.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Goldish means the silverish plating has worn off.

FirebirdUSX

no i mean new keys on classic industries .The blank ones are worn out from factory .

i can always get them coated in gold

TFicherajr

iTrader: (1)

I only remember getting two sets with the car from the dealer. However, you can have duplicate GM Factory keys still made at most GM dealers. I recently purchased a 1991 TA from a private party that only had 1 set of keys. It too a local Chevrolet dealer 1 day to get the right key in (They said there were 12 - 15 different ones) and 10 min to cut the key from the one I had.

FirebirdUSX

There are no GM dealers in Europe...if there are I dont know in which country they hide.Only chevrolet and Chrysler are the only american delears around ...even them have no clue about american cars since they all sell sissy small crappy plastic Aveos and others stuffs like that

On classic industries for each lock they give a key thats not even goldish like the OEM one.Its interesting that they said there were 12-15 different ones ....get all 15 keys and you pretty much have all third gens around ...you dont share stuffs like that

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

That's GM. There's no dealers with a sign out front that says "GM"; the sign will say Chevrolet or Buick etc.

There are ALOT more than 12 - 15 keys around. There are 5 sets of blanks (A/B, C/D, E/H, F/G, J/K, where the first letter is the ign and the 2nd is the doors); however many VATS resistors, which is in fact some number in that range; then there are 5 pins in the tumbler, each of which has about 7 or 8 possible positions. This means that there are approximately 5 × 12 × 5^7 possible keys; since 5 to the 7th power is about 78,000, that gives about 4 million different possible key combinations for these cars. I'm not sure if they still used all the different letter combinations with VATS, so the actual number might really only be something around 1 million. Since all GM cars from 80-something to almost 2000 had the same kind of keys, there's probably only as many as about 15 to 20 cars that all use the same key.

You are seriously confusing BLANKS (the thing you buy at the hardware store, or what the car dealer has to order), and finished KEYS, which have the teeth cut in them. A BLANK will not turn a lock, only a KEY will. There may well be 12 to 15 different BLANKS with VATS, each of which is different because it has a different resistor; but then, there are 78,000 different KEYS that can be cut from each BLANK.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Wow...what a flashback topic. I used to do new car check-in for our dealership. I don't recall any cars getting more than two sets (not counting plastic cards meant to be carried in your wallet). Punched many sets of extras for salesmen that had sold a car, and the owner wanted extras.

Makes me sweat thinking about signing off paperwork for the truck driver, on the blazing hot hoods of dark blue State ordered Caprices in August. Ugh!

FrankieRider2

My red '88 GTA came with three VATS ignition keys and two oval door keys when I bought it new.