Help! Lost '39 Mercury keys...

I was playing with my 1.5 year old son, letting him "drive" my 1939 Merc in the garage. Ironically, I was worried about him loosing the keys, so I put them in my back pocket, instead of back on the hook where they go. Long story short, after searching the house and garage for agonizing hours, I can't find them anywhere.

I pulled out my never-used spare key set and they don't work. Now I'm screwed. What's the best option here: Pull the whole lock out of the column, or would someone have a 'master set' with all the possible keys? I'm just not sure what to do here...

 

in direct contrast to the movies, there are no automotive "master" keys. There are literally hundreds of thousands of combinations and by varying the width of the lengthwise grooves, they can make that number a million. Sometimes the door keys matched the ignition key. Your door cylinders are easier to remove than that column lock. Any COMPETENT LOCKSMITH (not the adenoidal idiot at Target) should be able to produce a key that would work.

dj

 

You may just call a local locksmith and they can come out and make you a new key,Also you may file the sharpness off the new key and try it again.It has worked for me.

 

as above, try running the spare key pretty hard on a wire wheel to 'wear it in' might work, and its certainly easier than pulling the column lock out.

 

I would retrace my steps look some more! give it a day or so and keep looking! just my thought!

 

Keep looking. Did you check in the crack of the seat? Maybe they fell out of your pocket when you sat in the car?

Or a locksmith.

 

Check the kids pockets. If he saw you drop them odds are he might have picked them up.

 

Check the couch cushions too, at least you'll have some spare change!

 

look in the fridge?

 

We learn from out problems, when you somehow get keys , have spares made, make sure they work and stash some where you can find them. Your car uses Hurd blanks available from old Ford suppliers like Drake and Macs. You may need the blanks for a key guy to cut a new key.

 

Dumb question time....Did you check your back pocket?

Not trying to sound like a smartass but maybe it is like your glasses - push them onto the top of your head & then a half hour later you can't find them.

Maybe offer junior a popsicle if he finds them first or something. Kids have a whole different perspective on life being half our height. They see things we are not on the right angle to see.

 

Keep looking .If you didn"t leave the house you will find them. Or call a locksmith and 5 minutes after he leaves you"ll find them.Wire brushing and a little filing on the spare usually works.

 

I needed a key for a 33 Plymouth and called a mobile locksmith. He made a key in minutes. I don't recall what he charged but do remember it wasn't that expensive.

 

Thanks for the helpful advice, guys!
I did indeed check the pants pockets, seat cracks, couches, work bench, tool box, under the car, little man's crib, etc. It's like they just vanished...

I tried to pop the passenger door lock out (should use the same key) and the set screw that holds the lock cylinder is all mangled with no head left! Great!

I'll try wire wheeling the newer key down, then it's onto locksmith help...

Stay tuned...

 

I'll be over to help you look for them... just as soon as I get off work... at Target.

 

lock smith should be around $100 to $150. just had some made for a 58 Edsel for the doors, trunk and ignition

 

They're stuck in the seat dude!!!

 

Like the other bloke said......back away from it....admit defeat if you have too and tell your wife.....If I'm missin somethin my wifie can find it in minutes.....somethin about bein a mom makes em find favorite things with a quickness....that and it's the same thing as askin your kid....they're short....(least mine is) different perspective.

 

i was working on my 52 Packard once and the grass had not been mowed for a long time. so there was tall grass and weeds all around. some how i lost the keys. i had searched and searched with no luck. i went home and i mentioned this to my dad who was born in 1909 so he's been around the block. he tells me go to the garage and get that big magnet that's on a stick. which we had in there that no one ever used. i go over and start sweeping the area with it. VIOLA! after 5 mins i heard a clink raised the stick & my keys where on it.


not sure if this might help you.

 

Actually I beg to differ. There is such a thing as a master key set. I have a gm one. It's about 65 keys and it works on cars from about 1966-mid 90's.

Funny thing I found out one time is I've got a friend with 94 fullsize blazer and I have a 72 blazer. She locked her keys in it at the store one time when we were going camping. Guess who's keys will open and start her truck....Yep, mine. and hers will start and unlock my truck too.

 

look under the tool box, they love to eat sockets, bolts, springs, small carburetor parts. it would not be a far stretch that they also have a taste for keys.

 

Go back and look for anything but your keys, preferably something hard to find like a 1/2 inch socket or a phillips screwdriver. While looking for this hard to find item, your keys should magically appear!

 

Look in places they couldn't have possibly ended up. Garbages(don't throw out the garbage untill you are absolutely sure they're not in there, you'll never get them back) toy boxs, tool box drawers, kitchen drawers/cabinets. I lost a half gallon of milk out of the fridge once. Found it in the cupboard next to the cereal bowls. Don't ask me what I was thinking about, I guess I wasn't awake yet, that's my story and I'm stickin to it. Good luck!

 

I have a 2 year old,Nikolaus.This kid can hide things in seconds,look inside his toys, on top of your car tires,inside door panels of your car,under the seat under the dash.
If there is no results Give him a bunch of old keys to play with and watch him he might have a stash somewhere.
I usually find shit dangling from under cars or tables.
good luck.

 

I dropped a key once and it settled right into the turnups on my jeans.

Just sayin.

Mart.

 

Those are termed "try" keys.. It is not a 'set' of master keys. GM Locks have wafers, not pins. Pins can be arranged to allow use of one key (the master) to open all locks in that designed system. With wafers there is no way to accomplish that. Try keys are just that...tow guys have them and they're mostly comprised of GM keys from all over the place - wrecking yards, salvage yards, etc.

dj

 

Propwash you might as well accept defeat on the masterkey deal. I worked at a Dodge place an we did have a master set of keys.They were not try keys they were master keys. One key fit every pickup on the lot ,all being the same year,one key fit every Aspen and so on so you are dead wrong on your statement .(try keys)

 

did you look in your silverware drawer? I lost some keys a couple months back, couldn't find them and gave up. later I went to get a fork and there they were, in the spoon slot.

so now whenever I lose something that is the first place I look.

 

Like my wife always says,
"Well where did you have them last "?
I'll tell ya sometimes I feel like punching her right in the nose !

 

Don't believe I have heard the term "adenoidal" in a few years...'bout spewed my coke all over the keyboard...That's funny!