ignition barrel removal

To unlock the steering you will need to remove the lock assembly from the steering column. This is NOT done by removing the chrome barrel from the black painted surround. Rather you remove the black painted surround complete with the chrome barrel you insert the key into from the cast aluminum steering column.

Here is where it gets tricky. The black part is held to the column via a tamper proof bolt. The way it works is that when you tighten the bolt its hex head breaks off when you reach torque leaving behind a domed head that looks like a solid rivet. To remove this bolt you either have to drill into it and use an extractor or cut a groove into the top and use a flat head screwdriver. Easy on a bench but a pain in the car. Once that bolt is removed the lock assembly slides out of the column leaving the steering free.

Shy of disconnecting the column from the steering rack there is no other way to do this job without destroying things.

 

To answer your questions:

1. The shear bolts I have only seen complete with new lock assemblies although I am sure they are available somewhere. That said a button head Allen or flat head M6 (I believe) acts as a perfect substitute which is removable.

2. The chrome barrel is held in place by a press fit roll pin and the whole assembly is visible when you have the lock out. That said DO NOT TAKE IT APART. It is a huge job and will cause you all kinds of grief. It was never made to come apart and you will unleash all kinds of springs and pins. If you want to re-paint the black surround just mask off the chrome and paint it assembled. Don't say I didn't warn you.

 

With the kind of damage you have and missing keys you need to replace the entire lock assembly which is the whole black part that goes into the column. I know certain Alfa's used the same lock assembly so don't be a slave to Ferrari when looking for a replacement. Trying to fix what you have will be a ton more work than just replacing it and will likely not be possible in the first place. Buy a new lock.

 

I've just been through all this with my 330. I could not find a replacement assembly. Alfa ?? -- which one ? The ones Eurospares sell have a double sided key so not correct for a 246 (or my 330) and VERY expensive. I finished up buying a new barrel - really lucked out there - and have sent my old broken one to the Nieman agents and there is a possibility of replacing the broken innards from their stock of old barrels and parts.I went to two locksmiths and just got BS from them.
Nuvolari is right - don't take it apart and don't let a locksmith do it. Deal only with the Nieman agents.
PM me if you wish and I'll keep you posted on success of my repair
Howard
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The barrel is a "split cylinder" and as others have said can be a nightmare if attempted to remove. This was intentional as a theft prevention measure.
All is not lost as a key can be made for about $200 but it takes a craftsmen in the key/lock industry. Don't ask me how I know ... and Thank you Alaska Airlines baggage handlers (expletives deleted).

Basically he starts with a blank and exploits the cylinder's weakness, sequential pin drop, to create a key. He inserts the blank into the cylinder then rotates it with some force against the locking pins several times to produce contact marks. The key is then removed and he examines it for those marks, then uses a file to remove metal in that pin mark to produce a profile of that pin cut. When he files it down enough to release that first pin then the key will turn just a slight bit more as it engages the next pin which will stop him.

Lather, rinse, repeat
until all pin profiles have been revealed and the key cuts allow all cylinder locking pins to release and the ignition barrel turns.

From that you can decode the profile into a "key cut" code.
KEEP THIS CODE IN A SAFE PLACE and you can reproduce the key in the future from a blank with that code.

Also, check for anything hand written in your owner's manual or delivery docs that might list the key code (see third line).
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I just bought a used one from from GT Parts in Phoenix, with keys. I would start there.

 

Brian, it will drive you nuts and it will still be faulty, been there.

Superformance do an identical and once fitted you will never know the difference, the biggest hurdle is the price of £995

206 / 246 FITTINGS Superformance ferrari dino ferrari v6 ferrari v12 specialists 308 246 206 fiat dino 355 328



Tony

 

The split you see is totally correct. What you see is NOT a crack but the split delineating the two halves of the barrel the key goes into.

 

photo of my new one
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Here are pics of when I took mine apart and you can see how we used the halves to get the tumblers perfect before re-assembly. All original parts removed from ignition barrels that had never been opened.

http://dino246blog.blogspot.ca/2011/05/we-went-too-far-with-ignition.html

 

Rob, the photo of your lock does not show a crack, same as mine.
So does that mean the face that you see is a thin chrome cover over the barrel and the barrel (some sort of cast alloy material) is two piece underneath it ?
Howard
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You know what, nor is Nuvolari's
I am beginning to think that MOST of these things might have broken in two barrels.
My old one that I sent to the Nieman agents was definitely NOT like my new one i.e. not continuous at the edited circle in my photo.

howard

 

Do you think heating the outer casting with a heat gun would help loosen the grip on the barrel? I have a NOS lock from an Alfa that is exactly the same as the Dino's.