Hello, was hoping to once again lean on the forum for some advise in the auto world.

My 90 year old great grandmother has given up driving, apparently, since 2008. She passed her 97 buick onto another family member who was in need, and it got it's use as kiddo hauler duty and being used to drive 3 miles to work 4 days a week.

Something happened with the transmission, and it's been parked all winter and all summer. I went to diagnose it, and there are two problems. The first one is that the front sub frame is rusted away from the engine cradle (damming the car to paperclips), and BOTH sets of keys have gone missing, but the car remains unlocked


The tires have been allowed to go flat over the winter, and the tags have been out of date since December also. The landlords giving them till the end of the month to get rid of it.

So, the car's gotta go to the scrapper. I have a car dolly, and need to take it in. What can I do to disengage the transmission, and the steering lock?

I was thinking of taking a drill to the lock cylinder, or just cutting the steering column off with a sawzall and hoping that the locking mechanism that locks it into gear and locks the steering wheel disengages.

The car's worth about $250 in scrap, so I'm NOT about to spend all afternoon on it. We have the title, but not the keys, so the scrapyard will take it. I just gotta get the damn thing there.

Feel free to PM me any creative measure's I'm looking past, or any comments. Or if nobody minds, posting it publicly to rid the streets of an old buick I'm quite ok with that.

Thank you
~Nate

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95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

Car is flunk-wheel-drive, right? Can't you just jack the car to get the fronts up on the dolly, release the park brake, and tow on the rear wheels which should spin free?

There are usually places which will tow your car away and give you a reduced amount of money. Beats having to muck about with towing and dealing with the scrap yard. You'll have to pull the gas tank before the yard will accept the car in most states. Yet another reason to not mess with it.

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

If it's going for scrap just cut the shifter cable where it enters the trans and shift it from the engine bay. Do you need to unlock the steering to get the car out of the driveway?

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Yep, she was offered $50 and $60 for the car since it has to be towed away. She's happier if she gets the full amount for the car. Kinda like straightening a nail. Yes, it's more work, but it's cheaper. Whatever makes her happy makes it easier on everyone.

The scrap yard local to me has their own fuel recycling station, they cut a 1" hole in the gas tank, oil pan, transmission pan, and radiator. They

I could cut the shifter cable on the trans and move it into nutrual manually, however the parking lot it's in requires it to need the steering wheel turned. It's on a gravel parking lot, so I cant put a jack under it and roll it around.

So, still need to take the car out of gear, and unlock the wheel.

~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

There are sites on the net where you can find out how to pull out the steering lock with a slide hammer. You can then crack open the plastic behind the steering wheel and engage the starter switch with a screwdriver.

Junk yard guys do this all the time. I have not needed to scrap out a 90's GM anything for a long time, so the finer details are no longer with my memory.

But just do a bit of Google searching on this topic. This is an everyday thing to those in the business.

Or pop one of the tie rods off?

Drill the lock set or smash the column mercilessly with a hammer.

steering shaft should disconnect inside the car at the floor with a single pinch bolt. shifter disconnects under the hood, probably just use a pry bar and pry it out of park.

I looked for but couldn't find Jim B.'s repossession thread.

Sixto
87 300D

There is usually a plastic cap that covers a button to switch move the shifter without a key.

I thought those were only to bypass the brake / park interlock... not the ignition interlock.

-J

__________________
1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

I used to have a 99 grand prix and it had both functions (seperate buttons). One on the shifter, one under the steering column near the ignition switch.

Easiest thing to do is cut the shifter cable so you can put it in neutral. Then slide-hammer the ignition lock; once it pops out, you will be able to turn the steering wheel.

Good luck.

If you feel obliged (or want) to help her and it is about the money I would give here $200 and call a Junk yard to pick it up.

Not only it is a lot of work, but there is a risk in towing a heavy not road worthy car with a dolly (no brakes, subframe rusted away).

I think that the police and the insurance will question you decision to tow it that way if something goes wrong.

Rob