Hey guys I just bought a 78 D100 and the ignition key doesn't work for the doors at all. I bought it from a guy that used it as his ranch truck so he never even locked the doors on it anyway.

Is it possible to have a locksmith rekey the door cylinders to match the ignition key I already have? I've been calling locksmiths around here and either getting No, or they say that the key I have has to be able to slide all the way in the door cylinder for it to be possible. The key I have doesn't really go in the doors at all. It's the same looking pentastar key I have on my 71 Duster, so it's not some weird aftermarket deal.

Did these trucks use a different ignition and door key or am I just getting bad information?

I know I can buy new door lock cylinders for cheap but I'd like to be able to consolodate my keys and just use one for the entire truck. My keychain already makes me look like a janitor as it is

For my '72 and my '63 none of the door, ign or trunk keys match.

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'72 4 dr Dart
'63 4 dr Dart

I think same key did both. I'll check my 87 tomorrow to see for sure as all I have is one key (and it's in the ignition switch right now).

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65 Dart station wagon slant 6 - now under construction
47 Dodge Custom 4 Door sedan
87 D100 Short Bed slant 6

Retired USAF 1966-1986
Retired US Postal Service 2004-2014

I don't know much about re-keying, but for what it's worth; all the (few) '60's and '70's Mopars I've owned have used the same key for the doors and ignition.

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You can key them all to match. You can do it yourself, or take it to a lock smith. If you save all the old locks you have, you will have the tumblers needed to re-key them yourself.

You must do this on a clean, smooth, uncluttered work space. Otherwise you will lose parts. It might be smart to work over a cookie sheet or something with edges to keep little things from rolling away.

Hold the lock so the keeper is upright, (the removable piece of sheet metal. Pop the keeper off, and you will see the tumblers top side up, and their coil springs in a neat row from front to back. Carefully take these out and keep them in order on your desk. Record the length of each and in which order they are in the lock from front to back. Then re-install them and pop the keeper back in place. The tumblers vary by length, and they must be put back in the same order they came out for the key to work. I cannot remember how many lengths exist, but I think there were 3 different ones.

Then use the extra tumblers you have collected over the years to install a matching set of tumblers in any lock you wish to use the same key.

It is not rocket science, but does require care, and you a steady hand. The tumblers are small, and I needed a pair of tweezers to handle them. I keyed the trunk, and the ignition of both my Darts to use the same keys, simply to reduce the number of keys I carried on my chain.

Sam

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Thanks for all the info guys, looks like it is possible and I'm just dealing with locksmiths that are used to programming key fobs, rather than actually rekeying locks.

Sam, thanks for the write up. I was all prepared to get started on the project until I came across "then use the extra tumblers you have collected over the years". My problem is I don't have any extra tumblers at all

The dealerships used to sell a rekeying kit, but when I asked about it at the parts counter they refused to even to try to look it up. That Dodge dealer was one of the ones abandoned by Chrysler.

Years ago a locksmith shop charged me $2 to rekey my lock... with the ignition lock out, took 5 minutes.

I called the dealership and they had no idea what I was talking about. I finally found a place in town that can do it. Another locksmith place said they only go as far back as 85 on vehicles but they gave me the # to a locksmith thats been in business for over 30 years. He said he could do it but for $17 a piece. It's pricey but I don't want to mess with something this important. If I had extra tumblers I'd do it myself. Found a thread on FABO with detailed pictures and it actually looks kind of fun.

Check and see if you have a glove box lock on your truck. If the key won't work than most likley the ignition was changed at some time. It just made me think that my 78 Power Wagon had a glovebox lock. Who knows? Just a thought..

ESP47, Glad to hear you found someone who knows their stuff.

Sam, Good point about re-keying them yourself. I have keyed a few hundred commercial building locks, and never even thought about being able to re-key my own cars. All the information that is shared around is what makes this site so great!

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When you go to the junk yard, pick up extra locks and save them for the tumblers and springs. And, if you have parts cars, save the locks before you let them go. It is cool to be able to do something like this yourself. Only you will know, unless it comes up on a forum or something. It is not the first thing you point out at a show, meet or race.

Sam

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Single sided ignition & door key blanks, tumbler, and spacing were the same for 1968/9 to when the double sided key blanks came on line in the mid 90’s. So if your guy can do an 85, he can re-pin your 78.

17 bucks each? When I closed my shop in 96, I got 6 bucks a cylinder for re-pinning on the bench.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

Check here for all new matching locks, keys and ignition for $110.

http://www.tonysparts.com/

Sam

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If the previous owner didn't lock the doors, it's possible that the door locks are merely in need of a good cleaning and lubrication. That happened to my '73 truck that wasn't locked in years, and like yours, the key wouldn't insert all the way. A good shot of carb cleaner and penetrating oil might loosen them up, then lube with light oil.

64, you are on the right track.

I shot some lubrication in there and couldn't get the key to go in past the first tumbler basically. My Duster key went in further than the truck key did. I took it down to that locksmith and he said the locks are cheap and made out of aluminum. He said the hole that the tumbler travels in gets elongated and eventually it pinches the tumbler in there. He took the first tumbler out of each side, lubricated the key locks and now they work fine. Only cost me $12.