1954 72R - Help Identifying Dash

[TX54]

Good morning, was going through my service manual and operators manual, and unless it was a rattlesnake jumping out at me, I've missed it. 

 

Trying to figure out what these are (see circled in red). Are these vents?

 

-JT

[TX54]

Figured it out - They are ash trays. These are very stuck at the moment and have no movement. 

[rocketraider]

Believe it or not lubricating the ashtray slides was once considered part of a proper lube service- along with hinges, door and trunk strikers, hood latches and myriad other things that almost always got overlooked, even by the dealership service people who were supposed to know things like that.

 

You will have to finesse these open. If the knobs have enough recess to get your finger in to pull, a small slide hammer with a hook tip is the first thing that comes to mind. Put some tape or similar padding in the ashtray knob, hook the slide hammer tip into the knob, then use it to GENTLY "persuade" your stuck ashtrays out.

 

Another tack is to go to Harbor Freight or similar and get a set of plastic upholstery removal tools and again GENTLY pry around the edge in hopes of dislodging the stubborn ashtray. Those will be less likely to damage things than say a screwdriver or metal prybar.

 

When you get them out to end of their travel, you should see a tab that was used to snuff cigarettes. Press the tab downward and the ashtray assembly should come completely out of the dash.

 

Once they're out, clean old hardened grease off the slide tracks on both ashtray and dash opening, then use either white lithium grease or a modern synthetic grease like SuperLube to keep them functional.

 

Even if you don't use them as intended, there's satisfaction to be gained by getting them working as designed again.

[old-tank]

You should be able to get your hand behind the ashtray to push it out...

[TX54]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

Believe it or not lubricating the ashtray slides was once considered part of a proper lube service- along with hinges, door and trunk strikers, hood latches and myriad other things that almost always got overlooked, even by the dealership service people who were supposed to know things like that.

 

You will have to finesse these open. If the knobs have enough recess to get your finger in to pull, a small slide hammer with a hook tip is the first thing that comes to mind. Put some tape or similar padding in the ashtray knob, hook the slide hammer tip into the knob, then use it to GENTLY "persuade" your stuck ashtrays out.

 

Another tack is to go to Harbor Freight or similar and get a set of plastic upholstery removal tools and again GENTLY pry around the edge in hopes of dislodging the stubborn ashtray. Those will be less likely to damage things than say a screwdriver or metal prybar.

 

When you get them out to end of their travel, you should see a tab that was used to snuff cigarettes. Press the tab downward and the ashtray assembly should come completely out of the dash.

 

Once they're out, clean old hardened grease off the slide tracks on both ashtray and dash opening, then use either white lithium grease or a modern synthetic grease like SuperLube to keep them functional.

 

Even if you don't use them as intended, there's satisfaction to be gained by getting them working as designed again.

Rocketraider,

 

Thank you for the detailed instruction. I'll give it a go and am sure it will free up.

 

-JT

[NTX5467]

There might also be some residual nicotine build-up on the sliding parts.  If so, it will be browner in color and can be a bit difficult to remove, but still doable.  Usually, they did use white lithium grease on the ball rollers, which usually dried-out and flaked off.  Whether you use them or not, they do need to slide easily and smoothly.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[TX54]

UPDATE: I freed up the ashtrays, removed, cleaned, greased and replaced. It took some jiggling but I was able to remove without too much difficulty. While I was at it, I removed the auxiliary heater fan motor, disassembled, cleaned, and greased the bearing. No more squeals! As a bonus, I added an Airmeter temperature + humidity gauge. Seems to be registering accurate.

 

Last night was our town's Christmas parade. People loved the Roadmaster. The previous owner had rigged up blue lights in the Ventiports, which I think adds a nice touch.

 

 

Thanks for the help!

 

-JT