ignition lock/steering column problem

[dieseldude]

Hi fellas.
Come home yesterday and parked the VR Acclaim,everything fine .
Went out again 30 mins later but the key would not turn the ignition.(no evidence of attempted theft))
I also noticed the steering lock is not working as you can turn the wheel as far as you want with no key.
From memory ,my old HQ Kingswood ignition switch turned a pin that slid into a slot on the steering shaft,jamming it .
Are these more or less the same?

Can I get in there and fix it or does it need some special tools/knowledge?

If I have to,Ill get someone to have a look at it ,but I would like to be armed with some info before I have to pay anyone.

Any ideas? Does it happen often?

[Fonzie]

As far as i can tell, the only time my ignition barrel locks up is if the steering lock is on... And you just have to turn the wheel a bit to unlock it. I'm guessing some of the mechanics in the column have 'gone to a better place'.

[ianf]

I've had to replace 2 ignitions/locks now when both for not reason locked up and wouldn't let me in?, Instead of spending to much money I simply brought another from the wreckers for $20 & it went in pretty easy, apart from the piece that goes around the steering colum, had to cut with angle grinder. The only problem with doing this is you now have 2 keys, one to get in and another to start it.