k so today i went to start my car and they key wouldn't turn all the way. and felt stuck, i tried to remove the key and it wouldn't. it is now stuck in the accessory position and won't turn at all. the car is in park, i have tried centering the wheel to no avail.
it is an automatic 79 Z28 i cannot change gear, and when i attempt to take it out of park i can hear a clicking (mechanical) sound in the steering column close to the ignition.
the biggest problem is that this happened late this night and the only tow truck that is available can't tow it because he doesn't have any dolly's to put the rear wheels on, since the car is stuck in park. so now my car is sitting in a parking lot, and must stay there overnight. NOT HAPPY!!!
please any info or ideas you have are greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

so jiggling the steering wheel while turning the key didnt help? used to have to do that on my dads pontiac.

 

no, and the odd thing is that i've never had problems with the ignition before.

 

I'd say either your ignition tumblers are worn and now jammed, or it's a shifter linkage problem. There is a rod that goes from the linkage on the trans, to an arm at the base of the steering column, under the hood. That acts as an interlock, where that arm won't rotate down if the key isn't in the on position, which prevents the shifter from being able to move (the clicking sound you're hearing in the column). Pop open the hood, and see if you can pull the arm on the column up more. If it's a jammed linkage deal, you might need to disconnect the rod from the arm to move it. If all that fails, your tumbler is probably frozen and needs to be replaced. I've had it happen last year, on a 79 Vette. Drove it to work, went to turn the key off and it hung up to where I had to jiggle it back and forth a few times to get it to the off position. After work, it took a bit of doing, but I finally got the key to the start position. After I got home, it didn't want to budge back beyond the acc position, then it was stuck for good there. The ignition never acted up at all prior to that day. I had to replace the tumbler assembly.

 

yeah that sounds about right, thanks for your input. i will have to check that out. just gotta get the car towed

 

Sounds to me like it's all in the linkage. A tow company should be able to disengage the shifter lock from the steering column in order to tow it. Think about all the cars towed without owners keys present. There is a way. Replace the ignition either way, it is cheap. Once the ignition is out, you can cycle the shifter through it's range to see how it reacts free of the ignitions affects.

Pull the wheel, watchout for airbags (ground yourself constantly before touching the air bag) and pull the igntion. Depending on the year, the ignition is likely the only thing on that key, meaning doors, trunk and glove are the secondary key.

 

Probably too late now, but you don't need to tow it. With the key in the accessory position, your steering wheel should be free to turn.
Step 1: disconnect the linkage from the base of the steering column so your shifter will work.
Step 2: run a hot wire from the battery to the power supply lead on the distributor.
Step 3: jump across the two terminals on the starter with a screwdriver to start the engine, and drive it home.
Remember, only do this to your own car, not to take someone else's!
Oh, and 79's don't have air bags either.

 

thanks for the post Camaro 69, i was able to get the car home, haven't had a chance to get everything apart yet to fix it, but i will try and take pictures as i do so.