The 1987-1993 Foxbody Mustang is by far one of the most popular Mustangs ever made.  From everyday drivers, to drag strip warriors, to show cars, to low mileage collector cars, the Fox can fit anyone’s hobby and budget.  As these foxbody Mustangs get older, little issues can pop up that need to be fixed in order to get your Mustang to the condition it once was. That's where Latemodel Restoration Supply Comes in.  We are dedicated to preserving these cars so they can continue to be enjoyed by the many enthusiasts out there.

Today we will be taking care of a very common issue found with the 1987-93 specific cars.  The broken ash tray door.  I'm sure you've all seen them out there because 9 out of 10 of the mustangs have a broken and or missing ash tray door. Ford didn't do the best job at designing the ash tray door to last.  They are very fragile and can break easily.  But have no fear, there is a great 87-93 Mustang ash tray repair kit available to fix the door that is both economical and easy to install.

Here is the typical scene you see when you look down at the console. We have a broken door that is crooked and flopping around in the console top panel. Not only does it look bad, it rattles around and can be down right annoying to listen too. 

The first step is to gather tools and start taking things apart. Depending on where the door is broken, you might need a tube of plastic model glue to make the repair. Unfortunately you don't know until you pull it apart. You will, however, need the following tools:

Medium size common "flat head" screwdriver

#2 Tip Phillips Head Screw driver

8mm Socket & Ratchet

Drill & 1/8" drill Bit

 First step is to use the common "flat head" screwdriver to remove the console arm rest access plugs and reveal the two 8mm bolts holding the arm rest to the console. "note: there are 2 bolts per side of the arm rest"

Next: pull up the rear arm rest to reveal the 2 screws holding the rear of the console top panel down. Use the Phillips head screwdriver to remove these 2 screws.

Next: gently pull up on the plastic shifter bezel and move it out of the way to reveal the 2 front retaining screws.

Once these are removed, the console top panel will be loose. The next step will vary from car to car. Some of the wiring harness' have enough play in them that you can move the top panel out of the way and flip it over to unplug them.  Others may not have that much room and you have to reach under the panel and unhook the harnesses by "feel".

Unhook both the cigarette lighter and the power window switch "if equipped" and remove the top panel from the car.

With the top panel removed, now you can inspect the door area and see where your Mustang ash tray door might be broken.

Here is the repair kit and its contents. 

QTY: 2 screws & Retainer Clips

QTY: 1 Ash Tray Door spring

QTY: 1 Spring Mounting Panel

There are 3 common places for the doors to break at.

#1 the spring mount location, which cracks or breaks off completely.

#2 the door pivot stud which breaks off

#3 the Door Pivot Arm stud which also breaks off.  

In this particular case, the door pivot stud was missing and causing all the problems.

To fix this, get the drill & 1/8" drill bit.  Drill out the hole where the pivot stud originally was.

Once the hole is drilled, install the new screw through the hole and allow it to thread into the ash tray door arm.

Now that the door has both its pivot points, it will open correctly and have a free range of motion. With the door open, install the 90º bent end of the spring into the spring retainer.  Now apply pressure to the spring and insert other end into the door itself. The spring helps the door to open or shut and also holds tension on the door while it's closed to prevent it from rattling or sliding open.

Open the door a couple of times to make sure the spring doesn’t interfere with any of the other components.

We went ahead and installed a new Mustang Ash Tray Recepticle as well to clean up the look of the ash tray area even more!

Now that the Mustang ash tray door opens and shuts like it should, reinstall the top panel by reversing the steps you took to take it out.

Like I said earlier, this kit truly is an economical, and user friendly kit that make a big difference in the appearance of your Mustang console.