Ashtray light

[MaximRecoil]

Where does the ashtray light mount in a '69, and what does the socket look like? Does anyone have a picture of one installed?

With the ashtray open or removed, I can see a hole in back of the ashtray mounting frame, maybe 3/8" or 1/2" in diameter, but it is too small to snap in a light socket of the type that's used for the instrument cluster lights. I'm not surprised; that would be too easy.

[tan top]

not got a picture of what your wanting on this computer , they all on cd  , had a quick search  on line found a few pictures  if these are no help , let me know

 picture 1  69 charger ash tray frame
 picture 2  69 charger ash tray lamp
 picture 3 & 4  late a body

[HANDM]

Looking at the first two pictures, You can see the rectange hole in the assembly and the clip type thing on the lamp. Squeeze the clip together and insert it into the hole, which way I can't remember although I suppose it should be self explanitory

[MaximRecoil]

Thanks for the pictures.

I found a bulb/socket in the junkyard that I think will work. It's from a late '80s Dodge pickup. It has the bracket that clips into a square hole. It looks like it would mount on the outside of the ashtray frame, up top, which puts the little opening in the metal shroud around the bulb in a position to shine down through the square mounting hole.

The one I found was hardwired into the harness, no bullet connector. Plus it has two wires, which I actually prefer, because you can make a better ground than just relying on the contact between the mounting clip and the square hole.

The strange (and annoying) thing about it is: there doesn't seem to be any way to replace just the bulb if you need to. I guess you'd have to find another complete bulb/socket/pigtail assembly if the bulb ever blew. The metal shroud over the bulb seems to be permanently crimped to the plastic socket.



So I'm guessing there should be a female bullet connector somewhere in my dash harness for the ashtray light, is that correct?

[John L]

Thanks for the pictures.

I found a bulb/socket in the junkyard that I think will work. It's from a late '80s Dodge pickup. It has the bracket that clips into a square hole. It looks like it would mount on the outside of the ashtray frame, up top, which puts the little opening in the metal shroud around the bulb in a position to shine down through the square mounting hole.

The one I found was hardwired into the harness, no bullet connector. Plus it has two wires, which I actually prefer, because you can make a better ground than just relying on the contact between the mounting clip and the square hole.

The strange (and annoying) thing about it is: there doesn't seem to be any way to replace just the bulb if you need to. I guess you'd have to find another complete bulb/socket/pigtail assembly if the bulb ever blew. The metal shroud over the bulb seems to be permanently crimped to the plastic socket.



So I'm guessing there should be a female bullet connector somewhere in my dash harness for the ashtray light, is that correct?

There is a correct ashtray (or ash receiver as the FSM call it) on Ebay now for around $ 26.00 if you want an original. Your ashtray light is going to connect to a black rubber plug that has 3 female outlets in it. Your heater control lamps also plug into this outlet . It will be on the harness right behind the ashtray.

[MaximRecoil]

There is a correct ashtray (or ash receiver as the FSM call it) on Ebay now for around $ 26.00 if you want an original.

The original ashtray and ashtray frame/receiver is still in my car, so I don't need one of those.

Your ashtray light is going to connect to a black rubber plug that has 3 female outlets in it. Your heater control lamps also plug into this outlet . It will be on the harness right behind the ashtray.

Thanks. Hopefully that plug is still in my dash harness. If not, I can make it work anyway, but I'd rather just be able to crimp a bullet connector on the end of that ash tray light's orange wire and plug it in to the proper harness plug (and of course I'll need to crimp a ring terminal onto the black wire to ground it to the chassis).

[tan top]

 just taken  a few of mine , these any help ?  green arrow points to the  orange dash lamp wire 3 female bullit connector   

[John L]

Maximum,
  I was trying, not very well, to say that there is an original ash tray lamp for sale on Ebay, not the ash tray itself. After reading what I wrote the confusion is now obvious.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/70-GTX-Charger-Roadrunner-Superbee-Coronet-Dash-Ashtray-Courtesy-Light-/231055459105?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1970%7CMake%3ADodge&hash=item35cbfa8321&vxp=mtr

[A383Wing]

The strange (and annoying) thing about it is: there doesn't seem to be any way to replace just the bulb if you need to. I guess you'd have to find another complete bulb/socket/pigtail assembly if the bulb ever blew. The metal shroud over the bulb seems to be permanently crimped to the plastic socket.

follow along....pull the plastic socket out of the metal shroud to replace bulb

[MaximRecoil]

Those are great pictures, thanks.

I don't see how your light shines into the ashtray though. It is mounted inside the ashtray receiver, and I don't see any opening in the metal shroud around the bulb for light to shine down into the ashtray. Does the light shine up and reflect off the top of the ashtray receiver? It doesn't seem like that would give much light that way.

The light I found was mounted on the top of the outside of the ashtray in the Dodge truck (it was a completely different style ash tray than in a Charger though, plus it was all plastic), and since the "window" in the bulb shroud is right between the mounting legs, it makes it so the light shines down through the rectangular mounting hole into the ashtray. So this is how I mounted it in my car. It was a little tight/tricky getting the ashtray receiver back in place with that socket mounted on the outside top of it, but it went in:





I found the rubber plug with the 3 female bullet terminals, but a male bullet terminal from the hardware store didn't fit it. So I looked at the back of the fuse block, and the last fuse over, the 3 amp one for the gauge lights, had an extra unused terminal tab available, so I used that instead. It works fine:



I also confiscated the stock cigarette lighter and socket from that Dodge truck, because they were 100% brand new; never been used, not even once (the truck apparently was never owned by a smoker). Much better than my original lighter/socket, which is very well used, rusted, and doesn't work that great (often pops out before it is hot enough). It looks a little different than my original one (smaller knob, plus it is knurled around the edge), but it is all chrome metal, so at least it is not one of the newer ones with the black plastic knob like in my 2001 Dakota:



It works beautifully; pushes and snaps in nice and tight, and when it pops back out it is red hot, even in daylight. It also has a male terminal tab on the socket for a ground wire (because it was originally mounted in a plastic ashtray). I didn't need to hook a ground wire to it in my metal ashtray of course, but I did anyway, just to have an extra good ground.

follow along....pull the plastic socket out of the metal shroud to replace bulb

As I said before, the metal shroud over the bulb seems to be permanently crimped to the plastic socket.

In other words, the plastic socket does not pull out of the metal shroud, there isn't even any play in it. It can be rotated indefinitely, but there is no fore and aft play; pulling on it doesn't budge anything. You see that ferrule-type crimp ridge around it? That's why. Maybe the shroud would pull off without breaking anything given enough force, but I wasn't going to risk it.

[A383Wing]

And as I said before, it comes off. I have a number of them here that pull right off...even have the ridge on them. The bulb is replaceable by removing the plastic from the ferrule. Then when you get that apart, the 194 style bulb is pulled from the plastic socket assembly. Those were not a "one time use until bulb died" item.

[MaximRecoil]

And as I said before, it comes off. I have a number of them here that pull right off...even have the ridge on them. The bulb is replaceable by removing the plastic from the ferrule. Then when you get that apart, the 194 style bulb is pulled from the plastic socket assembly. Those were not a "one time use until bulb died" item.

Well, if this bulb ever blows I'll see if I can get that shroud off. But like I said, it wouldn't budge, and I got the feeling something would break before coming apart. I didn't try prying at the edge with something like a small screwdriver though; maybe that would work. Do you have a picture of one apart? I'd like to see what that crimp is actually gripping on the plastic socket.

[tan top]

Those are great pictures, thanks.

I don't see how your light shines into the ashtray though. It is mounted inside the ashtray receiver, and I don't see any opening in the metal shroud around the bulb for light to shine down into the ashtray. Does the light shine up and reflect off the top of the ashtray receiver? It doesn't seem like that would give much light that way.

The light I found was mounted on the top of the outside of the ashtray in the Dodge truck (it was a completely different style ash tray than in a Charger though, plus it was all plastic), and since the "window" in the bulb shroud is right between the mounting legs, it makes it so the light shines down through the rectangular mounting hole into the ashtray. So this is how I mounted it in my car. It was a little tight/tricky getting the ashtray receiver back in place with that socket mounted on the outside top of it, but it went in:





I found the rubber plug with the 3 female bullet terminals, but a male bullet terminal from the hardware store didn't fit it. So I looked at the back of the fuse block, and the last fuse over, the 3 amp one for the gauge lights, had an extra unused terminal tab available, so I used that instead. It works fine:



I also confiscated the stock cigarette lighter and socket from that Dodge truck, because they were 100% brand new; never been used, not even once (the truck apparently was never owned by a smoker). Much better than my original lighter/socket, which is very well used, rusted, and doesn't work that great (often pops out before it is hot enough). It looks a little different than my original one (smaller knob, plus it is knurled around the edge), but it is all chrome metal, so at least it is not one of the newer ones with the black plastic knob like in my 2001 Dakota:



It works beautifully; pushes and snaps in nice and tight, and when it pops back out it is red hot, even in daylight. It also has a male terminal tab on the socket for a ground wire (because it was originally mounted in a plastic ashtray). I didn't need to hook a ground wire to it in my metal ashtray of course, but I did anyway, just to have an extra good ground.

follow along....pull the plastic socket out of the metal shroud to replace bulb

Follow along ... as I said before, "the metal shroud over the bulb seems to be permanently crimped to the plastic socket".

In other words, the plastic socket does not pull out of the metal shroud, there isn't even any play in it. It can be rotated indefinitely, but there is no fore and aft play; pulling on it doesn't budge anything. You see that ferrule-type crimp ridge around it? That's why. Maybe the shroud would pull off without breaking anything given enough force, but I wasn't going to risk it.

 on the OEM charger ashtray lamp ,  the bulb is tollaly encased in a metal bullet thingy  , the light shines through two tiny holes , see green arrows  

[MaximRecoil]

               

on the OEM charger ashtray lamp ,  the bulb is tollaly encased in a metal bullet thingy  , the light shines through two tiny holes , see green arrows  

Ah, okay. That's an odd design. I wouldn't think that would give much light that way. Maybe they were concerned about it causing driver distraction if it was too bright. The one I got out of the late '80s Dodge pickup has a "window" in it, as you can see in the picture, but it also has a greenish blue filter strip over the window opening, which may be intended to reduce brightness.

Now I want an original one to compare brightness and see which I like better, but I'm not going to pay $30 for that one on eBay, especially when the one I got out of the pickup in the junkyard was free and like new.

By the way, it looks like your ashtray frame has 4 screws holding it in. Were they always there or did you add them? Mine only has the top two screws. The holes are there for the two screws on the bottom, but they don't look like they ever had screws in them, and with the way the frame sits in there, it doesn't seem to need screws on the bottom either.

[tan top]

I thought that odd too ,  the later set up looks the better desgine  
there are four  screws originaly , when I tore the  car down for the resto ,  just bagged , & labled the four  ,  as thinking I would remember  what one goes where ,  two screws are slightly shorter etc  , guess what 3 & a half years  later  , could  not remember  
think the shorter go at the bottom , don't really matter , looks like I put the short at the top in the picture