Keys

Q: Keys

Am I suppose to have two keys for my Fireibrd. One is round while the other is square.

A: Hey guys, let me take you back in time a bit. The older cars had a key for the trunk and glovebox (the round one) and a key for the ignition and door locks. (Roy, your trunk lock has been re-keyed to match the ignition.) I suppose the idea was the convenience of having the ignition key already in your hand after opening the door meant not fumbling with them. However, engineers don’t think like criminals, and they learned through complaints how car thieves worked. They would walk up to a car with a dent puller, screw it into the right side door lock, and pull out the lock assembly. They would then make a key from nearby, and afterwards would walk up to the drivers side like they owned the car, turn the key in the drivers lock, open the door and get in, start the car and DRIVE AWAY! Prior to this time frame (around 1969 or 70), ignition switches were in the dash (67 and 1968 owners) and it was easy to reach the switch from behind and hotwire the car. From the 1969 models, the switch became more difficult to access, with the so-called “locking steering column and shifter” but the thieves kept getting smarter than the engineers could keep up with! I believe the 72 models of GM cars were the ones that went to the round key unlocking the door, and the ignition key being exclusive.

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