For 1984 Firebirds:

Were Both square ignition keys handles covered with a black plastic GM logo?

Were Both oval door keys uncovered metal GM logo keys?

Were locking T-Tops supposed to be keyed alike to the oval door/gas key? Or were these keyed differently? If different - did they also use an oval GM logo key?

Thanks!


Extra question - did they typically provide the 4-alphanumeric key codes when purchased new? If so how, a card, tag, printed on new car paperwork somewhgere?

 

Our 84 Camaro was both covered.
You can buy slip on covers. I picked up a box at a swap. They sold out fast in Dayton.

PHS will give the codes. T top keys/codes, don’t know about those

 

Interesting - OK thanks.

I've got a pair of square/oval what I believe to be the original GM logo keys w/ my '84 Firebird. But only the square key is black plastic covered. The secondary oval key isn't. We bought the car when it was about 1-year old circa 1985. Despite that I would tend to have thought both keys should be plastic covered. Thanks for the confirm.

We have different aftermarket oval keys for the t-tops (but still the 'B' keyway). When we bought the car back in 1985 there were (and still are) telltale signs the top(s) were not original and had been replaced. They were a common theft item in the day. That would explain the non-keyed alike T-Tops.

I've seen those black plastic covers and if I saw some in person I'd probably snap them up. But on eBay I think they are overpriced esp w/ shipping and have found completely uncut plastic covered keyblanks for less.

thanks again - appreciate feedback

 

Nearly all examples I've seen the oval key is not covered with the GM hard plastic like the ignition key might be. You can find both NOS keys that are bare or covered that will work if the letter code is correct for the year, so I suspect the oval originals were bare. I'm not sure when that changed.

The T-Tops, again from my experience, should use the oval key and be keyed to the door locks, hatch lock and locking side compartment. I have never seen or heard of a 3rd key, unless it wasn't stock/factory.

When new, the keys had "knock out" plug in the part where a ring could be attached to the key. The "knock out" out had a small hole and contained the key code. The plugs were knocked out of the key and were to be saved by the owner to duplicate the keys if lost. I believe that same code is on the invoices.

 

My memory agrees with JT. I think I may even still have a knockout or 2 around here somewhere with the codes stamped on it. Except, my car (83) didn't have T-top locks, so I can't speak confidently to that, although it wouldn't make any sense whatsoever for one car to have 3 different keys. Plastic cover on the ign key, bare exterior key. It was that way all through the late 70s, maybe 76 or so on up, and well into the 80s; can't say for sure whether that ever changed for our cars. Introduction of VATS may have had some effect since the mechanical aspects of ign keys was no longer as important to be unique.

Each year, they used a different pair of letter codes. One for ignition, one for exterior locks. The pairs were A/B, C/D, E/H, J/K. A C E & J were ign, the others were exterior. No idea why there was no F & G. They rotated them every year, such that all cars in that year got the same blanks, up to some point, when they started using the same blanks for several years without changing, seems like A/B in particular got settled on often. So for example I had 74 and 78 cars, both had J/K; also 79 and 83, both were A/B. The difference in the blanks is the keyway grooves: mismatched letters won't generally even go into the wrong lock at all because the profile of the key is different. The height of the teeth is specific to the lock. The lock had about 7 pins of different lengths, and the key notch or tooth had to move the pin to the right height (typical pin/tumbler lock setup). Pins were selected in specific discrete lengths. I think there were roughly 8 or so different pin lengths butt I don't know exactly, maybe somebody here that's a locksmith can tell us that; therefore it's possible, and not even all that uncommon, for 2 cars to use the same key. That happened to me once, wherein some one of my personal cars' key fit some work car. Can't recall whether that coincidence was on the doors or the ignition. I think they suppressed pin length combos with repeating lengths in a row, since that would have left long straight sections on the cut key.

 

Code on PHS could be wrong, I misplaced my keys one year rite before Dreamcruise, I heard the Cadillac dealer had older keys, turns out, the guy who ran the local Pontiac parts counter worked there now, he cut the keys according to PHS, ignition was wrong, he said a lot of them were wrong from GM. I thought my ignition was replaced, he said prob not. Got the car a year old, who knows.
the slip on covers protect your key from wear too.

 

I can tell you that the original keys for my '92 are exactly like this; bare metal oval door key, square plastic cover ignition key (with a VATS pellet). Not sure how many dealers will still program/ cut old VATS keys, but I managed to get a couple spare sets from my local Chevy dealer around 2018. Guy had to go pull the old key programmer out of a broom closet, but it worked, and they had key blanks on hand! Think I paid like $20 for a set of two spare door/ ignition keys. Both sets of keys work perfectly (as do my originals), and I do still have VATS enabled on my ECU.

 

1987 keys are C/D. Ignition key covered, door key bare. T-tops, hatch and storage compartment are keyed for the door key.

 

Anyone ever get three sets of original keys with the purchase of a new GM car in the past.
When I took delivery of my new 1970 Chevelle, I received 3 sets of keys. The square ignition keys had no covers.

 

Pretty sure the plastic covers didn't start until sometime in the 80s. My 1982 GMC original keys did not have covers.

 

I’d thought 82. When all the black took over.

 

Couldn't tell ya what came from the factory, but a few years ago I ordered a set of the factory keys (with the black covers) off eBay and had them cut at ACE Hardware.
'Funny thing is they did it for free since I didn't buy the keys from them (???)...

 

My parents bought, new, a late 70's Regal and it had the bare ignition and door keys and the knock outs still in tact. So some time GM did change over to the black plastic cover square head. I had an idea that it may have changed when they started using black ignition switches instead of the chrome. Rather silly but perhaps it was a vendor change? I was surprised to learn that Briggs and Stratton was one vendor to make locks for the Fords.

 

Late ‘82 (‘83 models) maybe for the black cover ign key. The ‘84 C4 came out in mid ‘83 (March…) and they had the black ign. key cover on them.

 

It was a mixed bag. The black covered keys started in the early 80's, but not on all GM vehicles. It may have been related to the black ignition switches.

 

You can still get the covers. In many colors.