[Healeys] Ashtray style

[Earl Kagna]

John:

I'm just working my way through this ashtray thing right now.  The new 
astray I bought - sourced fro Autofarm in Ontario - will not take the 
original insert without a lot of fiddling, at least the one I got didn't. 
The lids 'legs' are bowed - not flat to the ashtray body sides - which they 
have to be to clear the insert when it's installed.  The 'new' insert is 
much narrower so the 'bowed' legs clear with no problem.  Hard to explain, 
but immediately clear once the whole mess is in your hands.  I 'unbowed' the 
legs in order to stay with the original insert - receptacle and lid - it 
worked fairly well.  The chrome shop is having another go at the original 
body / lid, and I should see it in a couple of days.  I'll use whichever 
arrangement comes out best.  Am I nuts with this or what!

If you go the re-chroming route, make sure that the chrome shop understands 
how the parts fit together and work.  There's very little clearance - if the 
plating gets too thick, the lid will bind on the body and you won't have 
that 'concours snap'.  For me, the cost of re-chroming was about the same as 
a new ashtray - around $60.00 or so.

Let me (us) know what route you choose.


Earl Kagna
Victoria, B.C.
BJ8, BT7 tri-carb


-----Original Message----- 
From: john spaur
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 6:19 PM
To: healeys at autox.team.net
Subject: [Healeys] Ashtray style

The ashtray in my '62 BT7 has a lid that flips sideways with an
oblong hole under the main lid that rotates open. I am told that the
available ashtrays no longer have the inner lid with an oblong hole.
I am thinking it would be less expensive to get a new ashtray instead
of re-chroming the old one.

Does anyone know if the new style ashtrays will accept the inner ash
receptacle from the old style ashtrays?

Thank you,
John Spaur
San Jose, California