General Tech Have new blank key for TR3 but cannot get it "cut" to fit ignition.

Working on a TR3 for my son who bought the car without an ignition key which also fits the doors. He wanted me to have a blank cut to fit the ignition and door but cannot find a locksmith in east Texas to do it. Any advice? The obvious response is to replace the complete Lucas Bakelite component but the door ....

You can buy replacement lock cylinders, with keys, from the usual suspects (Moss, TRF, etc). Or, if the numbers are present, have keys cut to the number. Here's a couple of places that I believe can cut to the original numbers:
https://www.britishcarkeys.com/
https://www.key-men.com/

You could probably also ship them the lock cylinders and have them match keys to them.

What I did was to buy the blanks on eBay, and cut them myself.

Or, yet another option, buy the blanks and take them to your locksmith. Chances are very good that he can cut them, they usually just don't carry those blanks. The hardest part is getting the locks apart, and that's usually pretty easy. You'll have to remove the ignition lock from the dash, and pick it once to unlock the cylinder, then there is a hole that lines up so you can push the pin that releases the cylinder from the lock body. It's been a long time since I've done door locks (what good is locking the door on a ragtop? My TR3 doesn't even have handles ), but IIRC they are very similar.

Check YouTube for any number of videos on how to pick locks.

Pete Groh (https://www.britishcarkeys.com/ mentioned by Randall) should be aboe to help you - I assume you can read the two-letter 3-digit code off of the lock.

I had door locks on the Jaguar with no key and no number - at a club meeting I had everyone try their keys in them and sure enough I found one that worked. Then I had a key made using that number.

For blanks - shops used to tell me they did not have blanks for British cars so I took to telling them it was for a screen door or a truck cap -- then they would actually look and usually find a blank that was just fine.

The Roadster Factory recently came across a stock of original pre-cut keys. See if your lock number is on the list. I bought one for my TR3 and it fit perfectly https://trf.zeni.net/wc/featurekeys/3.php Dennis

Thanks for the help. I do have a blank that fits the ignition but have no idea on how to "cut" it. I will look on Utube.

Thanks for the quick reply, Dennis. Had no idea they existed.

GeezerJarhead said:

Thanks for the help. I do have a blank that fits the ignition but have no idea on how to "cut" it. I will look on Utube.

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I'm not sure Youtube will have details on this old, simple lock.

But the basics are easy: With the cylinder removed from the lock, insert the key into the cylinder. Note how most or all of the pins stick up from the surface. Using a fine file or Dremel with a small burr, remove some metal from the key under each pin; then try again. When the pins are flush with the surface, stop cutting that position. The key may become hard to insert or remove during this process, if so, lift the offending pin a bit from the other side. Once all the positions are cut to the correct height, smooth out the transitions between the positions so the key goes in and out easily.

It's easier than it sounds. But it wouldn't hurt to buy a spare blank, just in case you goof. More for peace of mind IMO than likely to be required.

Thank you! That has been helpful. I will give that a try as soon as I can get the cylinder removed.

I went to my local ACE HDWE for my Midget and they had no problem. I also went to an old key shop near the Wisconsin UW Campus in Madison for my TR6 some 10 years ago. a leftover from the days of LBC's being common on campus.

JP got mad at me for going into too much detail on this thread, but it may help...

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/showthread.php?96249-Lock-Help-you-out-there-JP

I really wanted to do this. That is "cut" my own key but could never "pick" the lock to remove the cylinder. Thought about simply drilling a new hole in the housing to release the cylinder but decided that was going a bit far. I think I have the solution and that is to purchase one already cut from Britishcarkeys.com (Peter Groh?)
Now I can move on to the next step which is to stop the carbs from leaking. Car had been sitting up for some years and all hoses are hard as rocks.

Thanks for all the helpful replies to this "rookie" question.

I think my best solution is to purchase a key fro Britishcarkeys.com (Pete Groh). I need to move on to more interesting aspects of this TR3.

Really am appreciative of all the responses to such a trivial (in your minds) question. Thanks again!

Or you could send it to me and I can cut a key for you.....

You are a comedian as well....we can agree I am a cautious person....career training.

CJD said:

JP got mad at me for going into too much detail on this thread, but it may help...

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/showthread.php?96249-Lock-Help-you-out-there-JP

Click to expand...

There you are! I've been wondering where you've been...