I removed the steering lock pin from my 83 and I plan on removing
it from my 80 when I get around to it.

The ignition key turns much smoother without the pin.

The pin in the 83 kept the key from turning and left me stranded.
That is when the pin got removed.

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80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250