classic car key cutting

trailingspouse

I'm the proud owner of half of a 40-year-old MGB Roadster. It came with one set of keys, so we need another set cut - I popped along to our local Timpson's this morning with some original MGB key blanks, to be told that they don't do this any more. They would be happy to use their own blanks, but as the car is a classic and we bought it because it had so many 'original features', I would rather use genuine MGB parts. Timpson's reasoning was that they get asked to cut cheap generic blanks and then get the blame if the key snaps. That seems reasonable - but I wasn't asking them to do that, I was asking them to use the manufacturer's own parts (if anything, Timpson's blanks are the cheap generic ones!!)

So the question is - is there anyone out there cutting keys for classic cars? Or have they all followed Timpson's lead and stopped doing it?

agrinnall

I would try an independent locksmith, I can't really see why they would refuse to do it.

debtdebt

Any local independent shoe repair / key cutting outfit should be able to do what you ask.

hollie.weimeraner

Try contacting the MG Owners club? Or one of the many MG Forums:D

Strider590

You could change the switch, you can guarantee it's still possible to get the same part, it'll almost certainly be a Lucas part and I recently bought an ignition switch for my kit car, which was a Lucus ignition switch used in the original Mini.

Given the age, I would just replace it as they can go high resistance. The MGB used a ballast ignition, that's a 1.5 ohm resistance before the ignition coil to bring the coil voltage down to 9v (it bypasses the resistor during starting, to give a stronger spark), even the slightest ignition switch resistance can cause problems with misfires.

Rain_Shadow

hollie.weimeraner wrote: »

Try contacting the MG Owners club? Or one of the many MG Forums:D

Or an MG specialist who will probably have loads lying around


These people, with whom I have no connection, may be able to help you.


http://britishclassicspareparts.com.au/british-parts/switchs-gauges-cables-etc/barrel-keys-mg-austin-healey-triumph


They weren't exactly hard to find on Google.


I always bought spare keys for my Triumphs at autojumbles.

BeenThroughItAll

Timpsons are like the Kwik-Fit of cobblers. There's one on every high street, but if you want your shoes resoled by an experienced cobbler, or a key cut by a professional locksmith, you have to look a bit harder and be prepared to go without the city-centre postcode and shiny chrome counter.

trailingspouse

Fair comment. Glad to hear there are people out there still doing it. It's the second time in a week that Timpson's haven't been able to do something that I thought was well within their skill set. There won't be a third...

Not sure how changing the switch would help - we have one full set of keys, we just need a second set cutting. It looks like Timpson's are the only ones in our local town (apart from a locksmith who will come to the house - that seems a bit extreme!!), so will have to look further afield. Don't you love it when something you thought would be a five minute job turns out not to be.

facade

You can likely just mail order spare keys. The small keys will be FS numbers, and I doubt if MG had bothered with a steering lock in 1967.

If the keys are plain, they are not original, and the numbers are stamped on the lock barrels, which are easy enough to extract.

oldagetraveller

https://keysinthepost.com/product/mg-car-key/

Of any use?

forgotmyname

The guy in my local Market cuts the keys with no issues, the only time he did query it was when i handed him a jaguar flip key blank and a ford key to copy.

I just said they are the same, he had a quick look and said yep no problem.

Although he is expensive these days, cost me £2.50 last time. up 50p in just 5 years