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We have all heard about the factory hid a set of keys in a secret box. I have never spoken to someone that actually found any. Is it just an urban myth? Yesterday I was working under the left front fender hooking up the side marker lights to work as turn signals and out dropped a little box. Literally fell out on the ground. When you are working on cars, things falling off unexpectedly is not generally a good thing. I have worked under that fender dozens of times and never noticed anything unusual. It was a sealed black plastic box with a round disc on one side. I tried to open it but finally had to get a screwdriver to pry it open. Out dropped an original set of keys. The ignition key with the black rubber grip and the other key marked with the British Leyland logo. The box did a good job of sealing in water so the keys were rusty. I cleaned them up and they now work fine. So next time you are working on your car keep your eyes open - you might find a secret box.
Interesting occurrence. This was fairly common years ago for cars and many people hid a house key under a rock somewhere on their property. All remnants of a buy gone era. I recently got a call to replace a PC, bank said it was out of date and would no longer be allowed to log on... it was Windows XP. Worked fine other wise.
Last edited by icsamerica; Jul 7, 2018 at 06:52 AM.
Was the round disc a magnet? Thinking of those slide boxes with a magnet that are sold to hide keys under the car. More likely put there by a prior owner.
Was the round disc a magnet? Thinking of those slide boxes with a magnet that are sold to hide keys under the car. More likely put there by a prior owner.
That's what I'm thinking !
The hidden key of legend was supposed to be found in a little slot-like pocket on the ledge above the tire
I examined the box, definitely not OEM. Yes, it was probably put there by a previous owner. The problem was it was 95% water proof but that last 5% let in enough moisture and then trapped it in there to rust the steel keys. The big mystery is where was it? The car had been heavily undercoated and so a magnet wouldn't stick to it. And I have been under that fender a dozen times examining brakes, checking for rust in that hidy-hole behind the wheel that Dr. A. explains in JagCare, etc. And then, all the sudden it literally falls out.
Yes, Grant, the mistress to my heart. My wife says I can have as many Coventry mistresses as I want as long as they have 4 wheels and not two legs.
Sure is. A part of the fun of acquitting a previously owned car. Much like change and stuff from under the seats!!!
I forgot to remove a tool from under the seat of my F150 when I sold it. A genuine U.S.Marine WWII machete. It made Paul Hogan's blade look like a tooth pick.
Alas, the pocket above the left front wheel pf my Jaguar was empty.
I have three old Dell machines that work on XP just fine. My daughter was fussing that her Vizio TV had broken it's promises !!!! No longer support Netflix, HULU You Tube and the like!! I tried my best to explain servers vs hardware. Not much luck.
I recall that Dr. Gregory posted a decade or so that his spouse was OK with his caressing the flanks of one of their Jaguars,. Other flanks, no way, no how!!
We are currently sorting the tanks on our 1970 XJ 6 and last week, whilst getting ready to drop the tanks, we opened the drain nut on the left hand one and after a slight dribble of fuel, everything slowed down and what should be jammed there but a car key!
It doesn't fit any of our locks, but I would love to know how it ended up there! ( We had the car from new and then sold her to a friend) We are the only two owners and nobody has a clue as to how the key got there!
Our 1980 XJ6 gave us a silver ring when the back seat cushion was removed ! It was also around the time my daughter was borne.She came home in the Jaguar, naturally !
ok, since everybody's bragging about their finds, I found a gold plated tire gauge with "Healey Coachworks" engraved on it, when I bought my 1965 S type and removed the rear seat looking for treasure.
It now lives in the toolkit with the car.
I know it is gold plated because I took it to a jeweler to see if it was fool's gold but she confirmed it was gold plating.
Healey Coachworks must have been a rich company to afford gold plated souvenirs.
I found a spare key in the left rear side marker light on my '75 XJC. I felt like it was there from the factory. Research at the time (no internet, called atlanta dealer) did confirm this as standard practice, but who knows for sure. Maybe it was a dealer practice?
Hidden keys discovered
