steering lock...how to defeat?

[allczns]

hi all, I had a 1990 F350 parts truck (7.3, E4OD, 4X4) dropped off in my driveway, previous owner couldn't find the keys. How can I defeat the steering wheel lock so I can move this thing??? (wife and neighbors are getting grumpy!!!)
thanks,

 

[Joe Mc]

Try your own keys first, you might get lucky.
Driving a fairly large screwdriver in to the lock to rip the pins out of the tumbler usually works good, just a little messy.
Try to find someone nearby who picks locks for fun.
If your lucky and you just need to move it across flat concrete use a floor-jack to move the front-end around.

 

[typ4]

Take the steering wheel off and cut off the lock pin with a grinder, a hacksaw wont touch it.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

I had the unpleasant experience of having to drive my brown truck home by hot wiring the IP and jumping the starter. The only other obstacle I had to overcome was the steering wheel lock, in which I stripped the casing away from the steering column and put me a pair of vise grips on the locking rod and had to pull (or push) on it as hard as I possibly could the entire way home. But it worked and if I could do it for several miles you can certainly do it for a few seconds to move it around the yard.

 

[towcat]

what I would do?
remove horn pad.
loosen steering wheel nut to the point it is on one or two threads.
break loose steering wheel from splines.
you should be able to steer it around now.
IF YOU WANT TO DRIVE IT.....
start with the above
get a steel putty knife @ 1" wide, measure off 1" on the blade length and bend to a 90*
the "***" on the steering lock is spring loaded. press down with the bent part of the blade and the handle parallel to the column.
use duck tape and tape handle securely to column.
tighten down steering wheel to where it is fairly secure.
now you can drive and save the column from further possible damage.

I get paid to steal cars.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I would like to disable the column-lock on my truck permanantly, in a non-damaging to the column manner.

How would I go about this ??

Thanks.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

By installing flip switches for your ignition, then entirely ripping out the tooth-rack-cam-thing for the tumbler and also the linkage rod running from that piece down to where the ignition switch used to be. At this point the tumbler on your column becomes nothing more than a place to hang your keys, and your truck (especially YOUR truck, with all them flip switches) becomes your friend's worst nightmare if they ever borrow it

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

By installing flip switches for your ignition, then entirely ripping out the tooth-rack-cam-thing for the tumbler and also the linkage rod running from that piece down to where the ignition switch used to be. At this point the tumbler on your column becomes nothing more than a place to hang your keys, and your truck (especially YOUR truck, with all them flip switches) becomes your friend's worst nightmare if they ever borrow it

I already made a nice new bracket and have installed it a couple days ago, after the rally, so it will have to wait another year for me to show it off.

At each end of the bracket/panel, there is a locking TEE-handle cable; one is the ENGINE-KILL; the other is for testing and locking down the trailer-brakes.

Between the two cable-handles is a push-button starter-switch with an indicator-light.

Next to that is a toggle that dis-ables the starter-button, such that pushing the starter-button does nothing if that switch ain't ON.

That switch is wired to both an indicator, and a very loud annoying buzzer, insuring that once the engine fires, I will be sure to turn OFF the starter-button circuit.

When I get done, there will not be a functioning wire in the column.

The horn button has been relocated for more years than I can remember.

After two column fires, I mounted an external Signal-Stat turn-signal switch and I wouldn't put it back to the factory mess for a thousand-bucks.

The dimmer is on the floor, where it belongs.

Cruise-control was never ever turned on and it left when the IDI came out.


The ONLY reason all that junk is in the column anyway is so that some little non-union factory can put it all together and then some robot mount the whole mess in one motion.


The ONLY thing that belongs in a steering column is the shaft itself.