Ignition Switch Removal
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5
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From: Houston, Texas - Clear Lake Area
Ignition Switch Removal
I am having a problem getting the ignition switch out of my 84. Have the Bently manual, and the 101 Projects but it is not as easy as shown. Have removed the knee panel, steering column covers, light switch, the nut and internal wrenching bolt from the steering column end of the switch. Plus I drilled out the removable bolts and removed the back end of the switch. As near as I can tell (standing on my head) I have it cleared from the cables and wire harnesses running through the area. However I can't push the key switch side back through the dash, only goes about half way and it feels like it is a solid bind. Do I need to drill out the pop rivets on the plate around the key part of the switch to allow more clearance (angle to push the switch back and allow the steering column end to slip out of that collar)? I was afraid that if I did drill out the pop rivets I would inevitably lose some of the specific distance for the steering column lock to properly engage. Or should I revert to the "bigger hammer is good" maintenance concpet. Or am I missing another bracket or clip I haven't seen?
Thanks
Doug_P
Thanks
Doug_P
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: Houston, Texas - Clear Lake Area
Solved it - thanks to Chris Powell of PCA.
The rivets in the small square face plate in front of the ignition switch must be drilled out. Not a hard job, though I had hoped that they were aluminum but no such luck. So the drill is to punch out the center pin (shank) of the rivet and then drill the head off. If there is no tension on the plate then the rivet heads have a string tendacy to spin when drilled. You can stop that by wedging a small flat blade screwdriver under the head of the rivet and then the drilling is pretty much a 5 second job. It may have been easier if I had drilled out the rivets before taking out the shear bolt as that may have put enough tension to lock down the rivets. Once the square plate and ignition switch is removed don't forget to punch out the remainder of the rivet in the dash panel so you don't have to deal with that after putting on the face plate.
Now comes the puttinittogetherright part of the job. To me take aparts are always easier.
Doug
The rivets in the small square face plate in front of the ignition switch must be drilled out. Not a hard job, though I had hoped that they were aluminum but no such luck. So the drill is to punch out the center pin (shank) of the rivet and then drill the head off. If there is no tension on the plate then the rivet heads have a string tendacy to spin when drilled. You can stop that by wedging a small flat blade screwdriver under the head of the rivet and then the drilling is pretty much a 5 second job. It may have been easier if I had drilled out the rivets before taking out the shear bolt as that may have put enough tension to lock down the rivets. Once the square plate and ignition switch is removed don't forget to punch out the remainder of the rivet in the dash panel so you don't have to deal with that after putting on the face plate.
Now comes the puttinittogetherright part of the job. To me take aparts are always easier.
Doug
