Spare change will break the ash tray

Aw s___ my ash tray is nearly falling out of the dash. I had a lot of spare change in it for parking meters. The weight was just too much for the cheap plastic hinges in the dash. Went over a bump and one broke off.

Don't let it happen to you... just $5, 10, 20 - no change. Change is almost worthless these days anyway!

Mike

mhead said:

Change is almost worthless these days anyway!

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Excellent point - y'all make sure to send me your spare, worthless change m'kay? :wave: Look at it this way; you've got room to dashmount a CB now!

mhead said:

Aw s___ my ash tray is nearly falling out of the dash. I had a lot of spare change in it for parking meters. The weight was just too much for the cheap plastic hinges in the dash. Went over a bump and one broke off.

Don't let it happen to you... just $5, 10, 20 - no change. Change is almost worthless these days anyway!

Mike

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I find that humerous. From change my 2 year old son now has about $200.00 in his piggy bank. And no Yucca, you cant have it !

red91inWA said:

I find that humerous. From change my 2 year old son now has about $200.00 in his piggy bank. And no Yucca, you cant have it !

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Better in a piggy bank than in the cassette deck. That's where my munchkin put ALL my change. Spark...Zap....Pooof...

This is very true, Those hungry Boston parking meters in combination with horrible 4x4 like roads in the city also broke my hinge, now she doesnt hold as much change....those damn quarters

my 94 did the same thing. get you a 97 or newer and problem solved, thats what i did

And just use the ashtray contents to pay for it.

Lou said:

Better in a piggy bank than in the cassette deck. That's where my munchkin put ALL my change. Spark...Zap....Pooof...

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Now THAT is funny!!!

LOL

I counted up my change contents. About $12, mostly quarters. So now I have to spend time to fix the thing. Which I did.

Removed lower dash panel. This panel is plastic but has a steel sheet metal backing behind the region where the ash tray is located. Broke the remaining plastic hinge out. Drilled 1/8" dia holes perpendicular to steel sheet at locations where the drill bit intersected the old hinge axis. Drilled as wide as possible, actually drilling the plastic slightly (really more like milling with the side of the drill bit). There is just a little more than 1/8" clearance between the ash tray sides and the cavity.

Bent a 1/8" dia stainless steel rod 90 degrees at either end with the bends just wide enough for the ash tray to fit inside the resulting "U". Fortuantely the ash tray molding where the two hinges engage it will allow, instead of two hinges, one long hinge rod.

Tapped the legs of the "U" into the holes I drilled and into final position. Cut legs on the opposite side to 1/8" above sheet metal. TIG melted these 1/8 extensions and welded the melt to the sheet metal. Have to be quick here since if the metal gets hot it damages the plastic. No possibility for stick or MIG welds.

Ash tray works great now and is plenty strong for my $12 in quarters. I put them back. Maybe I'll find a parking meter or spend most of them on a drive-thru.

But anyway the ash tray can be fixed with enough work and a special tool (TIG welder).

Thanks for the CB suggesting. Mine's jammed under the seat.