removing ign. switch...
I thought there was a How-To on ign. sw. removal, but didnt find it. I know it has been covered in some forum, but here is MY technique:
You have to remove the clamshell halves that cover the steering column. There are 4 phillips head screws to take out from the bottom of it, then you have to 'snap' the top/bottom halves apart at the left and right sides. Now you can tug the lower clamshell half downward. It will hang by the wire going to the little green light for the ign. key. The top clamshell half wont come out - yet.
There are 4 bolts holding the steering column up, that you can now see from below the column. they take a 12mm socket wrench. With them removed you can let the column droop down a few inches, and work the upper clamshell half off. Be careful not to damage the flasher button, or the stalks for turn signals and wiper control. That is an expensive item - the multifunction swtich - about $250! Just beyond the multifunction switch is the plate holding the ignition switch up against the column. The factory uses 'tamper resistant' bolts here. You can either use a chisel to hack a 'slot' into the head of each bolt, so it can be unscrewed; or... A dremel moto-tool works here to grind a slot. I was able to use the cold chisel driving against the 'rim' of the tamper resistant bolts, holding the chisel at an angle to the rim of the bolt & hammering, to make it turn counter-clockwise. (When you re-assemble the new switch, you can either use the new bolts that come with a new switch, or a pair of bolts from a hardware store.)
With those two bolts out, the entire ignition switch can be lowered. It has two halves; the rear half is the electrical switch, the front half the key-lock. It has two connectors you will have to undo to have the switch come out of the vehicle. If you are replacing the entire ignition switch, there may be one or two phillips head screws involved here. I cant recall.
If you dont want the 'door open chime' function, look at the white plastic goody that is part of the ignition switch. This is the switch that lets the computer know you have the key in. It has two wires going to it. cutting either one will silence that 'door-open-w-key-in' chime, but the chime to remind you that the lights are still on after you turn off the ignition will still work.
Be sure to have the upper clamshell half back in place before you bolt the column back up in position.
Each time I wind up with a new 'key', I make a couple of copies of it, and store the original in my hidden location, using the copies to run the car. That way I can always get new good copies using the original key.