Confused about sidebars

[77luke]

I am confused about if you can pick locks with a sidebar. The guys I work with say that unless you have the lock out of the column they can't be picked. However, I saw an advertisement for a book today that offered information on picking and impressioning sidebar locks......so is it possible to do it with the lock sitting in the column? Sorry if this is in the wrong section or covered elsewhere.

[77luke]

Ahhhh, just realized this probably should be in the advanced section.....sorry.

[melvin2001]

i dont think a "can it be picked" question belongs in advanced. everyone already knows you can open cars, we just wont tell you how

At any rate, yes locks with sidebars can be picked. they present a unique challenge though because the pins involved with sidebars are usually filled with false gates and other curve balls to mess with you. not to mention many are spring loaded, and need more tension to overcome this. all in all.. pain in ass

[77luke]

I guess it sounds stupid to ask a "can it be picked" question here- but the 2 guys I work with have said that it is impossible to pick or impression a sidebar while it is in the vehicle. I saw a GM 10 cut tool somewhere online that is supposed to help you do it- but it didn't go into detail on how it worked. Anyways, thanks for the response.

[2octops]

Most side bar lock picks require you to put pressure on the sidebar as you pick. The 10 cut GM kits have a bent wire made for this that goes in beside the plug. There is also a 6 cut version that was made many years ago that had fingers that raised the springs (not the wafers) that lets you manipulate the wafers into position freely.

Most others require you to drill a small hole to access the sidebar to apply pressure.

Just a note on the 10 cut GM, after it picks, you must use a special cut key to raise the keyminder switch before turning the plug or you will break the keyminder. That is a $50 mistake.

Sidebar automotive locks can also be easily impressioned. They typically mark very well, just not in the same place or manner than a non sidebar lock will mark.

[maxxed]

The easiest of the sidebar locks to learn impresioning is the ford 10 cut start with those and then work your way up

[arris]

sorry but by side bar do you mean stuff like the assa twin combi?

with 2 lots of pins?

[linty]

not 2 sets of pins, just one set of wafers, on one side of the keyway only, in a normal wafer lock the wafer prevents the cylinder from turning by sticking out above or below the plug. a sidebar wafer lock has notches on one side of the wafers, and the notches all have to line up to allow the sidebar to retract.

[Tygart]

I read somthing about this in a Steven Hampton Lock picking book, but it was a double wafer lock.

It says it can be picked.

[linty]

a double wafer lock meaning it has wafers on the top and the bottom is not much more difficult than a wafer lock with all the wafers on the same side.

there are double wafer locks that employ sidebars, i can't think of anything old right now but some newer ignitions are using this, like the aztek for example.

on this site most of us consider everything pickable, but some things more pickable than others. i would say that a double-sided wafer lock with a sidebar is not field pickable.

[raimundo]

luke777 the book you read was probably steve hamptons, and as tygart said, "he says you can pick it" and thats about all he says about it. spends 50 pages chatting about simple lockpicking then simply asserts that highsecurity locks can be picked, along with the somewhat dubious assertion that a bent half diamond will do it. All in all, if you want to find out something about picking highsecuity, this site is the source of some real information, and stevehampton has never even seen a sidebar lock picked, hes just reporting rumor. his book may be helpful for complete beginners, but there is nothing in it that is not covered better here.