Will putting in a different steering column affect VATs? Could the splice trick enable me to use a different year column or am I up a creek?

Mine is a all crappy and broke looking like someone tried to steal it and just ended up breaking a tab off the key hole and cracking the plastic case and stuff. Just nasty. I figured a new column would look nice in my car.

 

What you would need is a key matching the pellet resistance from your current key that fits the new column. There could be many scenarios to accomplish this, but if you could swap your current key cylinder to the new column, then you would have no worries.

 

I would look at replacing the broken parts if possible. I would think changing the whole thing would be a pita.

 

Replacing the column is a very easy job and could be done in an hour or 2. I replaced mine after some internal parts broke. I had already done the VATS bypass off shoebox's site so all I had to do was swap the column.

 

I know it would be a pita. But the plastic column skin is broke and nasty and the turn signal realease doesn't work anymore. Not a big deal, but it's not the 50's anymore.

Shoebox, I hear what you're saying, but is that even with doing your resistor trick? Wouldn't that bypass the need for a matching key? You know more than I do about this, that's why I'm asking.

 

Z95m6, did you swap similar years or would any year swap be fine?

 

I think any LT1 year would be fine. I'd try to stay away from 93's as they maybe the same as other years, but 93's can be different on some stuff and I wouldn't risk it. I bought a column out of a 94 and installed it in my 95 z28 6spd. It plugged right in and worked great. I believe the car I got mine out of was a v6 and maybe a manual. I bought it from a salvage yard and it was already removed and on the shelf when I bought it.

 

Thanks.


So I tested my keys and it showed 1.125. I tried on the other settings and nothing showed up. I looked at your site Shoebox and on nominal it had 1130 but not 1.130. Am I getting close? Which resistor would that point me to?


**EDIT** I went and bought 1kohm, 100ohm, and 150ohm. Should I use all 3 to average 1.125-130? Do I just put all 3 into the sensor or do I twist them around eachother?

 

You can do the pellet bypass, but whatever key you have must still fit the profile of the cylinder you use.

If you were on the Kohm scale, your reading of 1.125 would equal 1125. You can add (daisy chain) resistors to reach that amount. Just tie the leg of one resistor to the next.
Use the free legs of the end resistors to make your connections.

i.e ------[|||||]-------[||||||]-------[||||||]-------


Just your 1000 and 150 (1150 added) should work.

------[||1000||]------[||150||]------

 

Hey, I just got off the phone with gtpguy and he said he wired it up and now the security light flashes when the key is in and when he pulls it out it turns off immediately. It no longer stays on for 3 minutes, and it STILL doesn't work.

Is there something else he needs to do? He doesn't have internet access, so I am relaying it for him.

 

I would say the resistance is incorrect. Check the joined resistor chain with a meter to verify.

 

he just came over and I wired it up and it worked. We used my multimeter. He thanks you all too

 

Good enough.