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Mustang Ash Tray Repair Kit Installation

Watch our Ash Tray Lid Repair video here! Get your Fox Body Mustang's ash tray working again with this simple fix.

Viewing this install and using the information shared is subject to the terms set forth here - View the LMR Install Instructions Disclaimer.

The 1987-1993 Fox Body Mustang is by far one of the most popular Pony Cars ever created. From everyday drivers, to drag strip warriors, to show cars, the Fox can fit anyone’s hobby and budget. As these Fox Body Mustangs get older, little issues can pop up that need to be fixed in order to get your Mustang to the condition it once was. That's where Late Model Restoration comes in to the rescue! We are dedicated to preserving these cars so they can continue to be enjoyed by the many enthusiasts out there.

Mustang Ash Tray Lid Repair Kit Install - Mustang Ash Tray Repair Kit

This article and installation video will walk you through a very common issue found with the 1987-93 specific cars – the infamous -- broken ash tray door. I'm sure you've all seen them out there because 9 out of 10 of the Mustangs have a broken and or missing ash tray doors. Ford didn't do the best job at designing the ash tray door to last. They are very fragile and can break easily. But have no fear; there 5.0Resto 87-93 Mustang ash tray repair kit is available to fix the door. The best part is this kit is both economical and easy to install.

Here is the typical scene you see when you look down at the console. We have a broken door that is crooked and flopping around in the console top panel. Not only does it look bad, it rattles around and can be downright annoying to listen too. The first step is to gather tools and start taking things apart. Depending on where the door is broken, you might need a tube of plastic model glue to make the repair. Unfortunately you don't know until you pull it apart. You will, however, need the following tools:

Medium size common "flat head" screwdriver
#2 Tip Phillips Head Screwdriver
8mm Socket & Ratchet
Drill & 1/8" drill Bit

The first step is to remove the center console to gain access to the ash tray door and install the repair kit. If you need help with this be sure to check out our Fox Body Mustang Center Console Removal Video. With the top panel removed, now you can inspect the door area and see where your Mustang ash tray door might be broken.

There are 3 common places for the doors to break:

The spring mount location, which cracks or breaks off completely.
The door pivot stud which breaks off
The door pivot arm stud which breaks off

Mustang Ash Tray Lid Repair Kit Install - fox body mustang ash tray repair

In this particular case, the door pivot stud was missing and causing all the problems. To fix this, get the drill & 1/8" drill bit. Drill out the hole where the pivot stud originally was. Once the hole is drilled, install the new screw through the hole and allow it to thread into the ash tray door arm. Now that the door has both its pivot points, it will open correctly and have a free range of motion. With the door open, install the 90º bent end of the spring into the spring retainer. Now apply pressure to the spring and insert other end into the door itself. The spring helps the door to open or shut and also holds tension on the door while it's closed to prevent it from rattling or sliding open.

Open the door a couple of times to make sure the spring doesn’t interfere with any of the other components. We went ahead and installed a new Mustang Ash Tray Recepticle as well to clean up the look of the ash tray area even more! Now that the Mustang ash tray door opens and shuts like it should, reinstall the top panel by reversing the steps you took to take it out. Like I said earlier, this kit truly is an economical, and user friendly kit that make a big difference in the appearance of your Mustang console.

Mustang Ash Tray Repair Components

Mustang Ash Tray Lid Repair Kit Install - mustang ash tray door repair

About the Video

1987-1993 Fox Body Mustang: Ash Tray Lid Repair Kit Installation

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Published on 2013-03-21
This ash tray repair kit is now sold under the DCR (Daniel Carpenter Reproductions) brand.

If you've been around Fox Body Mustangs long enough then you know the ash tray door is a common failure item in the interior. Follow along in the video as Jmac shows you how to repair your broken 1987-1993 Fox Body Mustang ash tray lid.

Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]

JONATHAN MCDONALD: Hey, everybody. J-Mac with latemodelrestoration.com. Today, we're going to be working with the 5.0 Resto ashtray repair kit. Now, this ashtray repair kit includes everything you need to fix all of the common broken problems with an '87 to '93 top panel and ashtray door. Two screws, a couple of clip nuts, a new ashtray door spring, and then a new ashtray door spring mount.

Now, this top panel that I have here is very representative of what you may have in your car. Ashtray door is flopping around because the spring is long gone, one of the mounting tabs is broken, and actually, on the underside here, the spring tab is broken, which is probably the most common failure.

Now, to start off, you want to remove your ashtray. Then you can flip it over and remove your ashtray door. Now, if both tabs are still intact, you'd want to squeeze and release this outer one first and then squeeze and release this inner one, and then you can pull the door free of the panel.

Now you want to remove your cigarette lighter element out of the way. You can stick your thumb on the inside and twist, and that'll loosen it up. That way you can unscrew it. You can go ahead and get that receptacle free of the panel.

OK, now the first thing we're going to repair is going to be the door. This tab right here is typically what breaks off on the door. This is a metal door-- not a very common deal to have this tab broken, but it does happen. In the plastic doors, it's much more common to have that tab broken.

To get all the tools you'll want to collect, it's going to be a power drill with an 1/8 inch drill bit, a tape measure, a marker or pen of some sort, a of diagonal cutters or a Dremel tool-- just anything that'll cut through the thin plastic-- a tube of Super Glue, a Phillips-head screwdriver, and a center punch or a sharp awl.

Now, place your ashtray door down on the bottom. Grab your power drill with the 1/8 inch drill bit. Center yourself up where that tab was and go ahead and drill that out. Now, with that clear, you can check the fitment of the screw. It slides right through, we're good.

So we can go ahead and, from the inside out, put the screw through and then put on one of the clip nuts. And then tighten that down because, essentially, this screw just became your new stud-- much stronger, It's not going to break.

Now that we're done with the door, we can move on to this tab here on the console top panel. This one here is still intact, but it is showing signs of stress, so it's not long for this world. I'm going to use my diagonal cutters to clip it back a little bit. This is where you can use your Dremel tool as well. And then I'm going to take my center punch and just mark the center. That way, the drill bit has a good area to latch into.

And you can use the awl for that purpose as well. Another way to do this, instead of drilling, is to take that sharp awl, something with a long tip. You can heat it up until it's almost red and just stick that awl straight through. Now, don't go too far, obviously, but that is a little bit easier way to do it.

Take your drill. All right. Clean off any of that plastic flash, then you can grab your other screw, make sure it's going to go through-- and it does just fine.

Flip your panel back over, put the screw in from the inside out, and then you can take your other clip nut and slide it on the end of the screw. Kind of get it started into place, and then you can take your Phillips-head screwdriver and go through the cigarette lighter opening and tighten that down. And essentially, that screw, just like on the ashtray door, this just became your new stud. All right.

Now we're going to repair the spring perch here. Now, these typically break out. Some people will try and drill a hole a little bit further down. That hardly ever works, because it puts the spring in the wrong position and it pops out anyway. Now, on the '90 to '93 panels, it has this reinforcement ridge from the factory. You just want to make you a little line straight across the top, or as straight as you possibly can. And that's where you're going to cut, just right to the top of that ledge.

Now, if you've got an '87 to an early '90 car, that ridge doesn't exist. So you want to take your tape measure and you can measure up an inch from the flat surface here. Make your mark, and that'll be at the same height. That way your new reinforcement piece goes on in the same spot.

Now, I'll take my diagonal cutters here and trim off that broken piece. OK, now you'll take your Krazy Glue or Super Glue, throw you a bead on the inside of your new spring perch, and then a little bead on the top. Make sure you don't glue your fingers together. And slide that new reinforcement on there, make sure it's fully engaged, and let that cure for just a second. I'm using very fast curing glue, so it's not going to take very long.

Now we can go ahead and put the door back on. You can go ahead and slide it through. And you'll want to engage your first tab out here, and then the second tab.

Now, with these metal doors, it takes a little bit more effort to do this, but with the plastic doors, it really doesn't take much effort at all. Make sure that that inner tab is fully engaged. All right. It's going to be a little bit tighter moving than your original one was, but that's OK. It'll take a little bit of load off that spring keeping it closed.

Now for the spring, you'll want to take-- and it has an L-shape. That's going to go through your spring perch here. And then you'll want the pigtail facing back and you'll fold it forward and engage it in the little hole in the ashtray door. Probably have to fold it in a little bit, and there you go.

Now we have a fully functioning ashtray door again. Now for more tech tips and interior restoration videos, check out latemodelrestoration.com.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Mustang Ash Tray Repair Kit Installation

There are 3 common places for the doors to break:

Mustang Ash Tray Repair Components

About the Video

1987-1993 Fox Body Mustang: Ash Tray Lid Repair Kit Installation

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