Why One Key?

[Paul K.]

Maybe some of the historians can answer this:

First gen Rivs only use one key for all the locks where other GM vehicles used a separate key for the ignition and trunk/glove box. I prefer one key but always wondered why the Rivieras were like this. Did this continue with the 2nd gen or until the locking column was introduced in '69?

[68RIVGS]

2nd gen '68 has two keys.

[dr914]

my Dad's original 64 came with two keys. One for the doors and ignition and the other for the trunk. Factory issue. Two keys is how they came.

[RivNut]

My '63 uses two keys. One for the doors and ignition, one for the trunk and glove box.The ignition key is the hexagon shape, the trunk key is the pear shape. My '64 only uses one key for all locks, it's a hexagon.

[dr914]

My '63 uses two keys. One for the doors and ignition, one for the trunk and glove box.The ignition key is the hexagon shape, the trunk key is the pear shape. My '64 only uses one key for all locks, it's a hexagon.

I was 12 when we went down to the Buick dealership in West Hartford Connecticut to get ours, and it had two keys, and I still have them, the hex for the doors and ignition and the "pear" (good description!) for the glove box and rear trunk. Absolutely original factory issue for the 64

[cjp69]

both of my 65's use two keys.

[Paul K.]

my Dad's original 64 came with two keys. One for the doors and ignition and the other for the trunk. Factory issue. Two keys is how they came.

I asked the question because my 64 has only one key for all the locks and I purchased the car from the original owner in 1980. There are others with 64s that use only one key. But there are others with two keys. I wonder if there was a mid-year split and they changed to two keys?

I didn't think of checking the owner's manual but it reads on page 5 " Two keys are provided with your new Buick. Each key operates all locks".

[60FlatTop]

I lost my ignition key about 20 years ago. This reminded me I better take care of that sometime.

Ohhhh, the urgency of things in my life.....

Bernie

[Eric's.64.Superwildcat]

My '64 has one key and it operates all locks, which is consistent with the '64 owner's manual. The next section of the owner's manual says the following: When the ignition switch is in the "OFF" position, it may be turned to "ON" or "START" without the key".

This is correct. I can start my '64 without the key if the ignition is in the OFF position. To require the key for starting the switch must be in the LOCK position.

Although the manual doesn't say this I've always thought of it as the "valet" option in which you could give the car to a "valet" who could then park your car, but not have access to the trunk or the glove box.

I don't know enough about the '63 or '65 models to know their configuration, but I had assumed it would be the same for all of Gen 1.

Also, for those owners with two keys the '64 manual says it that "Two keys are provided with your new Buick", but that is simply for redundancy. The manual doesn't differentiate between key functions.

I would imagine the change to two separately functioning keys would have to correspond to a change in function of the ignition switch positions.

[RivNut]

I'm very familiar with the Lock/Off/On configuration of the Buick switch. On our '50 Special, my dad used to leave the car in the "off" position all the time so he didn't have to mess with remembering where he left his keys. On day my younger brother, perhaps 11 or 12 at the time, was playing like he was driving. Of course the old Special had a manual transmission, and the pedal start. Leave it to my brother to get the switch into the on position, with the car in gear, and step on the accelerator. Luckily crashing through the garage door under the power of the starter motor was enough to scare him so he backed off before the engine could start and take him all the way through the garage.

Ed

[1965rivgs]

The Buick literature notes the one key system as a feature on the `64 Riviera. Buick went to a two key system in `65,

Tom Mooney

[Guest Steeleco]

My 63 only uses one key.

[Paul K.]

My 63 only uses one key.

Do you have your 63 owner's manual to see how many it came with originally? So far people with 63s and 64s mention either one or two keys. The 64 manual says one key, but we have a member with a 64 that he says came with two originally.

[dr914]

I just looked at my original owners manual, with plenty of my Dad's original writing in it, and it indeed states that: "Two keys are provided with your new Buick. Each key operates all locks. We took delivery of this car on May 23rd 1964 and it came with actually four keys (which I still have) a set of two that operated the ignition and the doors, and a set that operated the trunk and glove box. These are factory keys, and I know for a fact that the car was delivered this way. The original 1964 owners manual (the header on the cover says "Buick for nineteen sixty-four . owners guide) provided with the car however, has a copyright of 1963 and states that it is the "3rd edition" I wonder if anyone has a 4th addition owners manual for 1964 that may have changed to say that there is now a two key system? Nice trivia to pursue!

[RivNut]

Paul,

Good thinking. I checked my owner's manual (one of the orginal things I got with the car from the original owner.) My car is FB number 18733, built 1D. On page 35 of the owner's manual under Keys and Locks: "Two keys are provided with your new Buick. Each key operates all locks."

Therefore, I stand corrected on what I originally said earlier about two distinct keys (post #4.). I'm using replacement keys on the '63 now because the originals are so worn. The replacement keys were given to me by the original owner, one hexagon; one pear shaped. I wondering now if he did that in order to distinguish them from the keys for his dad's '64 Riviera, which he also owned at the time he sold the '63. That's a mystery that will never be solved.

Ed

[Guest lemmy-67]

Valet parking. With a single key for the door/ignition, the trunk and glove box remain secure. That way, when you drive to that black-tie event with your significant other, the valet parker gets the one key to drive & park your car, and he can't get into your trunk or glove box.

Of course, he can still steal your battery since the hood isn't locked.

[Paul K.]

So it looks like 63s and 64s came with one key for all the locks (door, ignition, trunk and glove box). 65 may also be that way, maybe someone can check their 65 owner's manual. I still question why GM decided on one key for the 63, 64 and maybe 65 Rivieras when all their other GM products used two keys, one for the ignition/doors and one for the trunk and glove box?

[1965rivgs]

Paul,

As stated in post #11 above the `65 originally came from the factory with TWO seperate and distinct keys

Tom Mooney

[dr914]

and so did my May 1964 issue Dad's original Riv.

[1965rivgs]

Included in this post are three original, period, car specific (as opposed to broad based documents like the owner`s manual or the dealer brochure) documents.

The first is a `65 Riviera build sheet. For those who are unaware of its purpose, this sheet was used by the assembly line workers to properly build out the car, among other uses by Buick. These sheets can be found in obscure places while disassembling a car. I have quite a few in my personal collection and there are more in the ROA library.The build sheet clearly shows TWO different 4 digit key numbers (BTW the code a locksmith uses to cut new keys).

I have owned many `65 Rivs over the years, some nice original cars and some parts cars, and have saved duplicates of the keys from those cars for almost 30 years. I started saving the keys because I reasoned there couldn`t be that many different combos in `65 and I used the keys to open trunks (in my salvage yard hunting excursions) and/or to deal with cars purchased that were without keys. There has to be at least 75 keys now...and they came in handy!! And still do occasionally.

Edited September 29, 2012 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[1965rivgs]

Oooops, submitted the last post by mistake before I could finish...

In this post are included 2 original dealer invoices (sorry, no build sheets) for `64 Rivs. I chose these invoices as they represent cars which were delivered both before and after Paul`s father`s Riv. This does not rule out the possibility the cars were not actually BUILT before and after dr914`s car because it is possible one or both of these cars languished in the dealer`s inventory before being sold, but I doubt it. A check of the serial numbers can be made but at this point in time however Mom is in the hospital and I am pressed for time.

Can someone check the approximate dates these two cars were built by comparing serial numbers to other known cars/Fisher Body build dates? dr914, how do these serial numbers compare to Dad`s car?

The dealer invoices clearly show one key number for these 2 cars. A `64 build sheet would be nice to have as I`m not crazy about using dealer invoices to document originality. However, these 2 are better in terms of quality and quantity of info compared to others.

There are always exceptions to the general rule, maybe dr914`s car is one of those. But based on my experience, the factory literature and documentation, the feedback I have received both here and when this topic has surfaced previously, I`m very sure, as a general rule, the `64 Rivs came with a one key system and Buick changed to a two key system in `65. Hope this helps add some clarity to the "mystery",

Tom Mooney

Edited September 30, 2012 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[dr914]

My Dad's car serial number is 7k1173000 and is indeed in between the two bills of sale you show. Our bill of sale is dated May 29th 1964. The bill of sale indeed shows one key number, the main one 9189. THAT of course in no way necessarily makes it a fact that the car only came with one key and I specifically remember my Dad's and Mom's Key cases having two keys each in them, one for the doors and ignition and one for the trunk glove box and of course they still operate that way, have not been changed, and I have all four original keys. George Hussey

Edited September 29, 2012 by dr914 (see edit history)

[Paul K.]

Thanks George for the details. I do not have the bill of sale for my car but it was produced the third week of June 1964, a very late 64 car and I have one key.

This is a long shot but by chance are your trunk and ignition keys the same cut? Have you tried to operate your trunk key in the ignition or vise versa? The B-10 ignition and B-11 trunk key blanks are the same with the exception of the heads (flat or pear shape). I have seen a few cars over the years with a trunk key blank cut for the ignition.

[dr914]

Mystery solved thanks to Paul and I apologize to all!!!!!

I promise it is not because I am 60, but here is the scoop: I have six sets of gm keys, two original sets and four copy sets. All consist of one hex and one pear shaped key. One of the two sets still has one hex with the original key number.

Now here is the scoop: I have owned in the past two 65 models in a row before inheriting my Dad's car. As we know the 65s had two keys one for the ignition doors and the other for the glove rear trunk. WELL I got used to the two key system and always used the pear shaped key (or the automatic trunk release) to get into the trunk and rarely locked the glove box.

Today Paul, after you suggested the obvious (am I that obtuse?) I tried the pear shaped key in the ignition and the hex in the trunk and of COURSE they all worked!!!!!!!!!!!! Mystery solved everyone here was right and I will stand up and accept the darts you throw at me.

Final question is: WHY did we always have a pear shaped and a hex shaped key from new?

Thanks George for the details. I do not have the bill of sale for my car but it was produced the third week of June 1964, a very late 64 car and I have one key.

This is a long shot but by chance are your trunk and ignition keys the same cut? Have you tried to operate your trunk key in the ignition or vise versa? The B-10 ignition and B-11 trunk key blanks are the same with the exception of the heads (flat or pear shape). I have seen a few cars over the years with a trunk key blank cut for the ignition.

[Paul K.]

Interesting George. No apologies necessary!

So 63 and 64 have one key. I still wonder what was Buick's corporate thinking for this. Was it maybe more "European" ?