TWENTY YEARS AGO
Jerry Levine explained how to remove a door lock cylinder from an infamous GM 'N' car. Milt Wolferseder opened a Hamilton Line safe by HHM. Pat Sullivan offered a supplemental car-opening chart. Where is he now? Airbags were big news and only installed on fancy cars 20 years ago. A 1993 article listed various cars which used airbags. Ledger reported on servicing Chrysler Intrepid locks. Charles Cole introduced a line of lever locks by LSDA. MagiCorp showed readers their new MagiKey door unlocking system especially for use by the handicapped. Locksmith Ledger also checked out the lock systems on the 'Hardy Hummer.' Jerry Levine showed how to service trunk locks on a Chevrolet Caprice. A do-it-yourself wafer reading system for GM 'N' body cars was shown. Hugh Curry provided instructions for installing a Trilogy lock by Alarm Lock. Electrical locking systems by Rutherford Controls were discussed. Locksmith Ledger also published some good suggestions on becoming a good employer and a successful manager.
TEN YEARS AGO
Automotive locksmithing was the topic of the November 2003 Locksmith Ledger. A T-Code programmer was used to demonstrate how to program a Ford Taurus. A second article showed how to program Honda remotes. Tom Gillespie asked the question, "Is door and frame replacement a part of locksmithing?” Rod Oden told us everything we wanted to know about plug followers. Tim O’Leary suggested products for adding electronic access control to exit hardware. Gale Johnson tested a Framon code machine which was fitted with digital readout units. Ryan Wilson, Schlage Lock Company, introduced the new compressible Schlage F series lock cylinder. CCL provided coverage of their SearchAlert luggage locks which meet TSA regulations. Locksmith Ledger suggested forensic locksmithing as an added profit center. Jerry Levine serviced door locks on a Nissan Maxima. Tiny tested the Strattec Quick-Code. Steve Kaufman interviewed Maffey's Security Group about their success in automotive locksmithing.
Houdini Works Magic
Larry Schwalb, Houdini Lock & Safe in Philadelphia, called Locksmith Ledger recently with a code question. He had a transmission lock from a 1927 Essex Roadster which needed a key. The lock had a Yale logo printed on the face and a code number of X7. Our Reed code books had that code series and key cuts but the series required an Ilco 997MX key blank which has been discontinued for many years. Houdini worked their magic and found a Y11 blank which they could use as a substitute. After some final depth modifications due to tumbler wear, the customer was back in business with smooth-fitting new keys.
