The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Ash Tray Question - Need the smart Guru's

I was able to get a better copy of the blue GMC truck accessories booklet, (mine went under flood water and is stained and worn). I was looking at it and I noticed something for the first time listed under the Ash Tray listing. It states as follows

Ash Tray - Vacuum Power
All Gas Models ........2233728.......$12.75

Vacuum Power? What was up with that, I don't think is was for anything like self cleaning (that sounds retarded just to say it out loud).

Anybody have an idea?

Jake Groby

If it's what I think it is, then yes, it is a self cleaning, self extinguishing ash tray! I know they made them for cars in the '30s-'40s, didn't think they made them as late as 1960!

They were an option on 57 Chevrolet cars. Engine vacuum actually sucked the ash tray clean, butts and all. Sounds pretty far out, but I saw one work once. Not anything that I would think would be good for your engine, but Chevrolet did offer it as an option in some select years. Don't stand behind your truck if you install one of these. You might get hit by a butt!
Joe

I just saw one on ebay a couple days ago.

How would that have worked? Does the butts and ashes get pulled through exhaust? I wonder how big od a hose you'd have to run to make it work? Anybody got one? I'll google it.

I think that the cigs of the day when these were sold didn't have any filters or foreign materials in them, Camels, Luckys ect would just disintegrate as the vacuum got rid of them.

I don't know anything about the ash tray being referred to but I can't imagine the engineers knowingly designing anything that would pull foreign debris into the engine. There must be a method by which the butts are sucked into a container for disposal but not into the engine.

I wonder if there was a vacuum (tapped) off the exhaust then dumped into a catch basin (hold the buts, but let teh ash pass? I wonder if it would have caused issues with teh muffler? I tried finding something on the new no luck yet?

Another wild option you could get in some cars was a record turn-table (I did not make that up) I have a picture of it in one of my books.

Yes, these did indeed exist. I saw one in a guy's car in the mid 60s. The ads proclaimed that the mounting was so well cushioned that the needle wouldn't skip. Yea, like WHO would believe that.

None-the-less... eyewitness here.

my brother had a 57 ford with a smoky the bear on the dash while driving you would put the ashes or butt in the hat it would suck it right out

It seems a little ironic that an icon such as Smoky the bear would dispose of cigarette butts in such a reckless fashion.

He just spits 'em right out and causes a HUGE brush fire!

Jock.

I belive I saw one years ago and it had a glass jar mounted on the firewall to catch the butts and ashes.

I don't remember seeing any smoke eaters but the players, yes.
The 45 was first released by RCA in 1949 and by '52 or '53 it was the standard for single recordings and were selling by the millions. So it was a natural that the 45 rpm players were officered early on for auto use. Most all of the auto accessory suppliers like Warshawsky’s/JC Whitney or Western Tire and electronics suppliers like Allied and Lafayette sold the in-car players. They were fairly common when I was in high school in the late 50's. The major problem was that the tone arm had to have so much pressure on them to keep the needle from skipping you would wear out your vinyl 45's in short order. And at .59c for an Elvis that .75c an hour that you got paid for pumping Sinclair gasoline dint last to long.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I posted this question also over at AACA site and a member found one on ebay check this out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/57-5...QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW#ebayphotohosting

$127.50 and the reserve isn't met, must be a couple of those guys that want one of everything for their 210! The seller doesn't show the ash tray, that is if it's still in the box, I assume that the tray itself only fits the dash of a '57-'58 Chevy Passenger car.

Denny G

Just to update this, I contacted the seller and what you see is what you get, there is no ashtray with that. I don't know how it sucks the ashes out of the stock ashtray unless you just dangle the rubber hose into the try like a vacuum cleaner! He won't post the instructions so unless someone here has them we will probably never know how they were installed. I guess it’s to much trouble to go through for a mealy $127.50!