I have a couple of questions about ash trays for '32 Chevy's.

I have an ash tray that looks like this one on Bill's site:

http://1931chevrolet.com/images/ash3.jpg

I am guessing the '32 didn't use the same ash tray since I have another ash tray insert that I was told was correct for a '32 and it is wider and not as long and has a design in the metal on the front of it.

Does anyone know where there is a picture of the '32 ash tray? or can anyone describe the 'square ring' that this insert goes into? I have been looking for several years for a '32 tray and wound up with a '31 and part of a '32...

What is that reddish material inside the '31 ash tray mine is missing that part, otherwise it is fine.

Was the ash tray (pass. door) standard equipment on a standard cabriolet in '32?

Is this where a '32 tray goes on the door, (it is different than the placement of a '31 tray).?

http://1932chevrolet.com/photogallery/cabriolet/32rtdoor.jpg

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Hey Gator: We have been through the ash tray question several times before. You might want to do a search on Chevy Chatter and find the topic.

The ash tray pictured on Bill's site is for a sedan, not a cabriolet, and it is mounted on the back seat quarter panel. You have a 1932 cabriolet and it uses a completely different ash tray than the sedan and it is mounted in the passenger door.

I believe that you mentioned in a past posting that you had most of the 1932 Chevrolet reprint literature that is available. Check out your 1932 sales brochure and you will see that both the standard and the deluxe cabriolets had ash trays.

The door ashtrays for the '30 (Body Job No. 30558), '31 (31558) and '32 (32558) Sport Coupes, '31 Cabriolet (31568) and Landau Phaeton (31571) are all the same (part no. 4040500) according to page 200 of the Feb. '32 parts book. It is the one apparently pictured in the http://1932chevrolet.com/photogallery/cabriolet/32rtdoor.jpg.

The Aug. '32 parts book page 218-19 adds the '32 Sport Coupe (32558) to that list. It also lists part number 4023102 as the ashtray for the '32 Coach (32551), Sedan (32559), Special Sedan 32569 [though incorrectly listed on page 192 as job no. 32559], Landau Phaeton (32571) and 5-Passenger Coupe (32572). The '32 Cabriolet (32568) is not listed.

The November 15, 1936 Body Parts List eff. Nov. 15, 1936 shows illustrations of those part numbers as well as several others. Part no. 4040500 is illustrated with the raised edge cross design. Part no. 4023102 is illustrated as a surface mounted, woodgrained, nickel accented ash receiver with a fan type raised center medallion.

If you believe the parts books then the '32 Cabriolet (32568) did not have an ashtray. It is not listed in any of the books cited with the exception of "Front Comp Ash Receiver (All Jobs Except 32568-71) with the application 1932 for part number 4023602.

Hummmmmmm, Wonder why the 1932 "Chevrolet Sales Data" book on page 13 of the Specifications section dated 12-31 lists "Ash tray in right door" for "The Convertible Cabriolet". Ooooops, the previous page 12 of the same book lists "Ash tray above instrument panel." for "The Deluxe Convertible Landau Phaeton". Then page 10 lists "Ash tray in right door" for "The De Luxe
Convertible Cabriolet". Then "The De Luxe Sport Coupe" page 5 and "The Sport Coupe" page 18 both list "Ash tray above instrument panel".

Now how do you put an above the dash ash tray in the Landau Phaeton when the dash is a casting with no space for an ash tray? It is the same dash as the Cabriolet. Well, Well! And then what about the Sport Coupes that clearly have a door ash tray listed in the parts book but only the one above the dash is listed in the Sales Data Book (issued to Chevrolet Salesmen as a sales reference)????

So what is correct? Which official Chevrolet literature takes precedence? Let the debate begin!

Hey Chipper Dipper! Holy cow, now you will really get Gator confused!!

Oh, shucky darn. It was such a good example of the inconsistancies within the official Chevrolet literature that I just couldn't help myself.

Hey Gator, Just select the piece of literature that supports what you want to do and make sure it is on the top of the stack so that the judges can see it. If they bother to look then you may slide through without a point deduction. But if they choose to ignore the supporting literature then ??? Come to think of it, I guess that really doesn't change anything. Ok, just forget it and only take the car to AACA shows. Ooooops, that might just be worse. They don't know Chevrolets from F@&$s or Plymouths or Duesenburgers!!! Guess you are just SOL. Keep it in the garage so that you will not be disappointed. But then you will not get all those admiring comments from people. Darn, I am now confused too!!!! How did that happen????

Oh, yah ash trays. Glad I quit smoking in '68 so I don't need them.

Come on you guys, you're not letting that louiator suck you in with those frivolous posts.... Or are you?? And worse yet, he doesn't pay any attention to the replies.

HA! The joke's on YOU!

Bill.

Evidently you bought the ashtray on e bay or the parts. The brown piece is made of metal and wood grained on the ones that I have. I do not know if they are all like that or not. What if you had a 31 that had the standard interior painted not wood grained would the ashtrays be painted the color of the garnish moldings ?

Bill,
I respectfully disagree. It gave me a chance to point out that official Chevrolet literature contains many inconsistancies and errors. It should highlight the fact that no single reference should be relied upon when making a decision on what is "correct". Researching the question of ash trays for '32 Cabriolets is one of the best illustrations that I know of.

My '32 Sport Coupe with rear mounted spare, cowl lights and Deluxe garnish mouldings w/ mohair interior has the ash tray in the instrument panel right below the windshield.
...and I had it chromed, it looks soooo cool.

You mentioned that you had your ash tray chromed. Originally, it was nickel plated.

JunkYardDog, yes, we have talked about the ash tray before but not what it looked like, in those discussions I found out that the ash tray had several pieces, one piece is reproduced (the insert) and the piece that holds the insert is not reproduced (?). The location of the tray has not been discussed either, where on the door should it be? Please give some measurements so I can put mine in the right spot, thanks.

I have purchased the reproduced parts but have been unable to find the part that is not reproduced. On eBay last week there was a '32 ash tray for sale (2 inserts and the part that holds the insert) and I purchased it. When it arrived the reproduced part that I had purchased did not fit into the original part that holds the insert. That is why I looked at Bill's site to try and find out what was right...the ash tray I got from eBay if you look at it is a little different then the ’31 ash tray, Bill’s has ‘windows’ on each side and the one on eBay does not.

ash tray

I think I will use the one from eBay but I still need to know what material should be used in the front ‘window’ of it, bakelite maybe? Red? Brown?(not discussed before either) This one is a surface mount, until this string I never knew that there were 2 different mounting methods of trays.

Chipper, thanks for all of that information, it is helpful and I don’t think it will confuse me at all. Your web site above will not boot up for me...

By the way 42bill, maybe if you don’t have anything helpful to say or add to the discussion you shouldn’t say anything at all, this is for the good of the club, you might be showing non-members that not everyone in the VCCA is nice or helpful and it might keep people from joining the club.

Hey Gator! Hum.....it looks like I will have to give up trying to help you with your ash tray question because you are either not understanding or you are not reading my postings. Again.....the ash tray that you posted a photo of from Bill's site (1931 ash tray) and the ash tray that you purchased on ebay (1932 ash tray) ARE BOTH FOR THE SEDAN MODELS! As we have discussed several times in the past on Chevy Chatter and in the above posting, your cabriolet takes a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ash tray since the whole unit is recessed into the passenger side door, and the cabriolet ash tray IS NOT THE SAME AS THE ASH TRAY USED IN THE SEDAN MODELS AND THEY ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE.

JunkYardDog,
I know the ash tray and other interior stuff is originally nickel plated. Too late my friend. All my interior stuff was chromed ten years before I met you guys. Oh well, it will have to be for now.

Chrome plating can be removed from items by a simple dip in a tank. Don't have any experience as to cost as all my stripping has been free.

When I was restoring my 32, I had everything In the Interior of the car chrome plated, Which I thought was right. I never looked Into It being done any other way. Skip guided me through most of my restoration and when I told him the chrome work was done on all my parts, He quickly let me know that the Interior chrome pieces were done In Nickel. I took all the chrome pieces to the chrome shop and they dipped them In a solution and withen seconds they were all back to Nickel. I do not think a chrome shop would charge very much and maybe nothing to dip them. Especially If you took the parts to the chrome shop where you had them done.