Topic: NOS Blank Keys

[65fastbk]

Hi,

Im looking to purchase some NOS key blanks.  The ones I was looking at had usa on the key...my original didn't have that unless it rubbed off.   Is there a way to tell if they are really NOS?

Thanks!

[Brian Conway]

     I have the original keys for my car along with the dealers leather key case. The ignition key has the USA on the FORD side and the letter H on the pony side.  The same for the trunk key.  The key shown looks pretty good but of course pending futher confirmation.  Can post some pics if needed.  Brian

[65fastbk]

     I have the original keys for my car along with the dealers leather key case. The ignition key has the USA on the FORD side and the letter H on the pony side.  The same for the trunk key.  The key shown looks pretty good but of course pending futher confirmation.  Can post some pics if needed.  Brian

Hi Brian, that would would be great if I could see some pic!  So are they like the pics I posted above?

Thanks:)

[Brian Conway]

The keys I have that I know are after market  do not have the USA or H stampings.  Brian

[65fastbk]

Thanks Brian!

[C5ZZ]

I have noticed that the repro keys don't have as much thickness
to the metal in the area where the teeth are cut, its like they
were ground down too far, tryed a set and they don't work as well.

[GD64]

I have noticed that the repro keys don't have as much thickness
to the metal in the area where the teeth are cut, its like they
were ground down too far, tryed a set and they don't work as well.

The operation of the key shouldn't matter if the blade is thinner, though depending on the key code I could understand if the height of the blank is under size- though key manufactures pride themselves on quality.
I would question if the key that was used to copy from was worn, worn pins and barrel or another possibility is the type of key machine and how well it's adjusted.


Said with respect to you C5ZZ.

[C5ZZ]

The operation of the key shouldn't matter if the blade is thinner, though depending on the key code I could understand if the height of the blank is under size- though key manufactures pride themselves on quality.
I would question if the key that was used to copy from was worn, worn pins and barrel or another possibility is the type of key machine and how well it's adjusted.


Said with respect to you C5ZZ.

I would agree with you but had another key made off the same un-worn original
with a original Ford blank and it works perfect. The height of the teeth is critical
but apparently when the repro was ground too thin its pushing up on the edge
of the pins versus square on the center of them as the Ford blank is doing.
Even had both keys cut at the same old hardware store.

[GD64]

pushing up on the edge of the pins versus square on the center of them as the Ford blank is doing.

Gday C5ZZ,

That would refer the problem to who ever cut your key and that no care was taken to make sure both keys are aligned correctly in the machine.
Not the thickness.
These keys have a shoulder which stop the key in the barrel at the correct location so the pins sit at the bottom of the cut. If no attention is made to alignment of both keys the spacing of the cuts will be not be in sync to the pins.

Think I found your problem

Even had both keys cut at the same old hardware store.

Kind regards GD

[NEFaurora]

The original Blanks have an "H" , and the repros are a little thinner and have an "I"-denoted for Ilco Key manufacturer.  I forget what Key manufacturer was the original "H"..

Pretty sure that "USA" is on the original and the repros... Some keys the "USA" gets rubber off after heavy wear.

Tony K.

[Chris]

The original Blanks have an "H" , and the repros are a little thinner and have an "I"-denoted for Ilco Key manufacturer.  I forget what Key manufacturer was the original "H"..

Pretty sure that "USA" is on the original and the repros... Some keys the "USA" gets rubber off after heavy wear.

Tony K.

I've been looking to buy original keys for my 64 1/2 and I saw these keys listed for sale on NPD as NOS Ford. I bought two sets, just arrived today. The keys are marked with the "I" and not the "H" that this post says is the original marking. Are these keys really NOS Ford or is NPD inadvertently selling early reproductions?

[J_Speegle]

............... Are these keys really NOS Ford or is NPD inadvertently selling early reproductions?

Don't recall ever seeing the USA but will check my key ring - have a few hundred keys from ones that have passed through over the years

[69bossnine]

Gentlemen,

The pony key blanks we sell as NOS are indeed new-old-stock... Ford's manufacturer for those keys was originally ILCO. It's been so long that I can hardly remember the circumstances, but suffice it to say that my father somehow got tipped-off back in the mid-80's that ILCO still had a bunch of original Pony door/ignition and trunk key blanks in their warehouse. So he managed to buy-out everything they had. It was an absurd amount, like 20-30 thousand door, and 15 thousand trunk. He always said "it's probably a lifetime supply".

Well, the lifetime supply is about gone. We've got about 40 trunk blanks left in California, and that's it. I've got about 2,500 door blanks left, which will make it another couple years.

Regarding the letters, I'm not a "key decoder", but it's gotta be a code of some sort, but I don't know if it's date, or purpose, or what. I always thought the "I" stood for "ignition". Somebody else will have to chime on that.

But they came straight out of ILCO, back around the mid-80's, as surplus that Ford never absorbed. They came to us 50-per-box, in boxes labeled "Rotunda 011-00205" for the doors and "Rotunda 011-00206" for the trunks.

Rick
NPD

[69bossnine]

As a follow-up I went and looked at some original keys from our low-mile collection, and found "B" and "H" and "I" on different sets, from Galaxies to Thunderbirds to my one low-mile '65 Mustang. It's original pony keys had the "H", but again, I don't think that having "I" is necessarily incorrect, I just don't know what these codes meant...

[Chris]

Rick,

Thanks for that detailed explanation. Glad to find out that IlLCO was an original Ford supplier versus a a manufacturer of reproduction parts. Do you know if ILCO also made the keys that have the "H" marking?

Thanks,
Chris