key & lock sets

[NorCam]

All of the original cores for the locks issued in each year had individual keyways back in the '70s and '80s. That means the cylinder was milled/grooved to accept a specific key section such as the following:

1969 Camaro Door Lock - Section E Keyway (Square Head Ignition Key Profile Only)
Note: this matched the grooves of the ignition key in 1969. Key codes are found on original locks!

1969 Camaro Trunk Lock - Section H Keyway (Round Head Trunk Key Profile Only)
Note: the glove box door was also grooved to match this key section and was keyed alike to the trunk in '69.

These key sections A/B, C/D, E/H, J/K were used in each year beginning in the late '60s through the 1980s and were duplicated every 4 subsequent years. For example, E/H was used in 1969 and again every 4 years until they moved into the VATS and later key sections in the late 1980s. This is when Briggs & Stratton locks became part of the Strattec Corporation who make all of the electronic locks paired to smart keys today.

In the late 80's they did away with the restricted key sections for the door lock service pack cores and the trunk lock service pack cores. This meant that the service pack cores had the milling inside the cores opened to accept any of the (8) key profiles. This effectively allowed them to make one core that could be used for any year as a service part. It was then used to service GM dealers and the automotive locksmith market through Briggs and Strattec Corp and remains that way today.

The dust-keeper door was changed in the late '70s as a "redesign" specified by GM. This was for two reasons. One was because people would often try and put an aftermarket key into the locks and/or sometimes their house keys, and they would always get caught on the tab you are referring to where the shutter would then break off its locating pin and jamb inside the lock case. I used to see locks all the time with broken dust shields and this was the primary reason why. The straight cut flap was designed to negate the shutters being jammed and breaking inside the face cap when someone would enter a foreign key into the lock. Also, GM shortened the milling in the key blade in the mid to late '70s and newer keys would bind on the gate and also cause them to break. As said above, these newer styled dust shields have been this way for decades now. Even the factory coded door service pack and trunk service pack with "year specific milling" in the cores use these straight-cut door flaps and dust-keepers. Again, this has been the OEM spec since the change was implemented by GM and that was a long time ago.

If you want to key your car to one specific key, you can now do that by using an uncoded service pack door or trunk core. This would allow you to recode a trunk lock and the glove box core to your current door/ignition key if you chose to do so. In fact, GM has been offering these features since the '70s as all police and emergency vehicles, military vehicles and fleet cars including taxi's had all locks coded to a single key.

To answer this question for Chevyman0429

Originally Posted by chevyman0429

I have the two gm door locks and original ignition for one of my 69 chevelles however no keys and no trunk lock ! Can the keys be fitted to my existing locks and if I can come up with a gm trunk lock could the same key be made to fit all three locks?

Yes, any locksmith can use the code from your door lock or ignition lock case and cut a new key by code. Once the key is cut, the trunk can be rekeyed using a GM service pack core without keyway restriction. That would then allow the trunk lock to be coded to your E key section as used in the door and ignition. If you want the glove box to match, you would also use a service pack core for the glove box as well. Any locksmith who services automotive should be able to do this for you.

All the original Briggs and Stratton locks I use to code kits are the same locks GM has used for the past 3 decades. If you want to use the original cores and dust keepers that are in your original locks, that is easily done by taking your locks to any locksmith who services automotive. I doubt many of the new school locksmiths of the past 20 years know much about this stuff, so I would suggest when seeking a local locksmith, find an ALOA Certified CPL or CML who has a few decades of experience like myself. Most of us with CPL and CML designations have been servicing locks and cars since the '70s and '80s and know a thing or two about these.

I learned a lot of my craft from the best locksmiths to have ever practiced the craft. This included many courses from Len White (Briggs & Stratton Locks) and others like Hank Spicer. There were lots of drinking nights and stories shared between all of us back in the day. I hope this info services to help some of you with your locks and keys.

A final word to the quality of original USA made locks and that of all the clones that have flooded the market in the past 10-15 years. All of the made in China clones that are now on the market from places like D&R and many other restoration resellers including eBay are cheap knock offs. None of these locks or keys are the same USA made quality that originally came from Briggs & Stratton (Strattec Corp). The USA originals have high nickel content in the keys, knock out codes with original stamps, original "valid" key codes and correct fonts with the original GM coining on the heads of the keys. The lock cases are also better quality castings and materials, and the faceplates and chroming process are of higher quality than any of the clones now being offered. Another thing to watch for with the clones is that many of the offshore locks use the exact same key section and key coding for large groups of locks. This means that the guy with the restored car using cheap lock kits may be parked next to another with the exact same locks and keys!



Im out of here! (lol)