My car is an 1985 trans am. My first question is when i bought the car the ignition key i was given has the vats pellet in it. The car is switched to carb so I figured it wouldnt matter, I had a new key cut without the vats pellet in it and when inserted it does not make the dinging noise and it will not allow the key to turn. Is this what happens without a vats pellet or just a bad cut key? My next question is that my car has a t-5 in it but does not have the key lock system in the steering column like my camaro had, is this a different column or did it just come without one? My third question is that there is no rpo code sheet inside the center console lid and no trace that it was even there, was the rpo sticker not used until a specific year or did previous owner just clean it good? any help would be very appreciated

 

I can't help you with much, but here is what I have.
If you can't turn the ignition at all, then I would say you have a bad key.
I have a non-pellet ignition key for my VATS equipped car, and I can insert it and turn the ignition to start, but it obviously doesn't allow the car to start.

 

ohm your vats pellet key out and go on ebay and order a new set of blanks with the correct resistance, as for the rest.....idk.

 

VATS wasn't used in 1985. IIRC it did not start on the F body cars until 1989.

Plus, vats had nothing to do with key turning or not in the lock cylinder... Yours is a bad grind/cut. Take it back and tell them it don'e work, re-cut it.

Sounds like someone swapped steering columns at some point and put a 1989-92 column in and only key they had to fit it, was of course a vats pellet key

1985 should have the RPO code sheet in the console. On the arm rest/console lip, or on the right side of console wall.

The later year third gens had the RPO list on the "glove box" lid (the little lock-able storage place in the hatch to the left.

So kinda sounds like someone swapped in some later third gen parts into your car.