LiveFromNY

So my 1986 944 Turbo has a black dash and dark brown plastic trim pieces (including the ashtray). The ashtray slide cover is perfect but the metal ashtray itself has seen better days.

Unfortunately, a new ashtray is only available in black which I have ordered. That means that I need to remove the plastic piece from the metal ashtray and switch them around.

The ashtray seems to be held tight to the plastic slide cover by little clip pieces on the edge of the plastic but it looks like there is a very good chance I'm going to break the plastic when I try to seperate them.

Anyone done this successfully? Any tips or tricks?

J Berk

I don't smoke, so I don't use the ashtray.

I cleaned it out and used it to hold my Ipod cable...which I ran beneath the center console....it pokes through a small hole in the side of the ashtray and coils up nicely in there when not in use.

ernie9468

Easy bring to a shoemaker or buy the shoe tint yourselve & tint dark brown ( make sure to do it in a well ventilated area) I,m sending you a pic take look at the shifter **** & boot --the steering wheel partly done in brown & the ashtray they were all tinted (use it in spray or bottle don't matter can tell the difference once it dry.

gordyboy

yes, I got mine off, cleaned it up, painted it silver and put a few coats of clear coat on it, looks great now. I don't smoke, don't allow smoking in my car, but obviously previous owners had. Looks good now.

I just very carefully pryed it out and slid it along. I'm sure you have the same concern I had about breaking it, but I was as careful as I could be and it worked fine.

ernie9468

Don't know about using paint I would not & why would you take it apart your only tinting the plastic part (stuff paper towel in the ashtray -close cover -masking tape the metal part if you don't want nothing to go on it than tinte SIMPLE)

gordyboy

He isn't asking about painting it, he's asking about taking it apart so he can swap the parts. I just explained that I took mine apart so I could paint the metal part, nothing about tinting.

LiveFromNY

Thanks, Gordy. That's what I'm going to try to do. I feel a little more confidant now that I know someone else did it - although I suppose I'll feel even worse now if I break it where you didn't!

ernie9468

Read carefully what is saying he could only get a new ashtray in black color so why not tinte the new one brown --why bother with the old one.

LiveFromNY

Because tinted plastic is never going to look as good, nor be as durable, as the original dark brown plastic. But it's an interesting idea as a fall-back option.

Rock

Here are your answers.

1. Yes the metal tray can be removed from the plastic trim, I did this to place an Ipod under there.

2. All 944's trim is brown. All of them. It is often mistaken for Black, however I am positive that the ashtray you get will match your ashtray perfectly. It is a very very dark brown color, that looks black but in lots of light you can tell that it is a dark brown color.

Cole

I seperated the two pieces to restore the metal part. They slide apart toward the skinny side.

colin944

I did this as well as previous ownerwas a heavy smoker and ash-tray was really smelly.I pulled it apart very carefully and cleaned and painted the metal tray, i use it to put loose change in. Incedently my interior is blue.

LiveFromNY

I'm not sure this is correct.

I am holding a porsche OEM trim piece in black. Easy to see it is not brown when held against my trim. Big difference.

Also, the dealer parts catalog only lists black. Ian at 944online told me that even the old parts catalogs only listed the ashtray in black for the 85/2+ models. There was a brown option for the 85/1 but the ashtray is different. Yet, my 1986 ashtray is clearly brown. I've ordered an OEM in black so we'll see.

Also, others have had different trim experiences. As seen in this post.

"If you order the trim piece that fits over the glove compartment from the dealer, it comes black. But if you order the trim piece for the climate controls, it is brown."

On the upside, this is EXACTLY why I wanted a restoration project. It's all about the thrill of the hunt.

Rock

Which piece of the trim? The trim that goes on the dash or the trim for the center console?

odurandina

used properly, SEM vinyl dies are amazing.