hiartben- your last message to me was very articulate, detailed and erudite. i surmise i may have overreacted to this malady . it appears especially with your last statement that the only problem here is the tension on the lock cylinder caused by the steering wheel tension on it from the cocked wheel. relieving that frees the key cylinder. analyzing the diagram of the 240s steering lock tells me the long actuating rod from the cylinder to the column contributes to the problem probably from its bending, wear and dryness over the years. have replaced two of these lock cylinders when they jammed in american fwd tanks but their mechanicals are different than the 240s. those cylinders which i replaced with junkyard cylinders, actually had damaged/worn lock cylinder tumbler pins which were causing the stuck key. the american cylinders didnt have that long rod to the column, but actuated a cam gear when turned which allowed a spring button to unlock the wheel.seems like a better design. replacing them was only a 1F job. replacing that 240 ignition lock cylinder(actually the correct name)is a 4.5/F job( full 5F being reserved for the fun blower motor job on 240s). thanks tons /dont forget the juleps. oldduke