Ignition Switch & Key Cylinder Removal / Install

A paperclip, a few minutes, and no special tools — here's how our own techs, Matt and Jim, pull the key cylinder and swap the ignition switch on a 1966‑77 Ford Bronco.

Two different guys on our team, two different videos, same simple trick: removing and reinstalling the ignition key cylinder and switch on an Early Bronco takes nothing more exotic than a bent paperclip. Whether you're replacing a worn cylinder, installing new keys, or swapping in a full ignition switch kit, the process below is the one Matt and Jim both walk through.

Watch the full walkthrough above, then follow along with the steps below.

Removing the Key Cylinder

1. Turn the key to accessory. With the key in the ignition, rotate it to the accessory position.
2. Find the release hole. Look near the base of the key cylinder for a small hole — that's your access point to the internal retaining pin.
3. Depress the pin and turn. Insert the straightened paperclip into that hole to push in the pin, then turn the key slightly past the accessory position while holding the pin depressed.
4. Pull the cylinder straight out. Once you're past accessory with the pin depressed, the cylinder slides right out. That's the whole removal.

Removing the Ignition Switch Itself

If you're going further and replacing the switch — not just the cylinder — there's one more step. The switch is spring-loaded and sits behind the dash, sandwiched between a spacer and the chrome bezel up front.

1. Reach behind the dash. Push the switch inward, toward the dash, to compress the spring.
2. Twist to separate. With the switch pushed in, turn it to release it from the bezel. Once it disengages, the switch, spacer, and bezel come apart as three separate pieces.

Reinstalling the Switch

Before you push the new (or same) switch back in, take a look at it — you'll notice one larger tab and one smaller tab on the switch body. Those correspond to a larger and smaller slot on the bezel, so there's only one correct orientation.

1. Line up the tabs. Match the switch's large and small tabs to the bezel's large and small slots.
2. Push and twist to lock. Reach behind the dash, push the switch in, and turn it the opposite direction from removal to re-engage the bezel.

Reinstalling the Key Cylinder

1. Set the cylinder to accessory. Turn the key cylinder to the accessory position, same as when you removed it.
2. Depress the pin again. Insert the paperclip into the release hole and turn just past accessory, same as before.
3. Slide the cylinder in. There's an internal slot inside the switch the cylinder has to line up with — this is why the accessory-position alignment matters. A little wiggle while sliding it in is normal.
4. Seat it and release. Turn the key back to accessory, then to off, and remove the paperclip and key. The cylinder is now seated.

Testing the Install

Insert the key and turn it through the full range: on, then start. The switch is spring-loaded, so when you release it from start, it should snap back to the on position on its own. From there, turn back through accessory to off, and confirm the key only comes out in the off position.

If it springs back correctly and the key pulls out cleanly in off, you're done.