Help! part of my ignition fell out!

[yash]

Hi everyone, I have a 65 230 SL that I have been slowly restoring, yesterday I went for  a drive ,
came back, parked in my garage, switched the engine off, took the key out and part of the ignitiion
flew out and fell on the floor. It looks like the part where the key fits, but its in two halves.
I had to just leave it for now until the weekend when I can take a proper look at it.....

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks yash

[DaveB]

It sounds like you tumbler has fallen out, which seems a little strange. I presume the outer chrome casing has fallen off? (as I thought the chrome case held the tumbler in). The chrome case is pinned to the switch body. Maybe you will be able to put it back together and secure it with a pair of new pins or tiny screws. There is some ignition switch information here - http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Electrical/IgnitionSwitch

[al_lieffring]

Yash

This unfortunatly is what happens when the tumbler breaks in the early cars with the single sided key, There is no need to drill out the pins and take it apart becasue there realy isnt anything to fix inside there.

Only the later double sided key lock has a servicable lock tumbler.

The lock assembly from a fintail body sedan will work as a replacement if you can find one. Look for a crack above the tumbler where the key goes in, if it is cracked it is about ready to berak and you will have the same thing all over again.

[yash]

Thanks for the help, I got time to look at it over the weekend, the tumbler is in two parts and
the barrel was full of the little brass pins, I managed to get them out. It doesn't look like
it stays together. So I'm calling my mechanic for help.....


Yash