I found my ash tray fiberoptic light, I guess that is what it is. Fortunately all the pieces are there, socket, cable and "thing" (black clip thing) to attach it to the ash tray.....but I was wondering, do these things actually work?....meaning do they actually provide light to the ashtray through the cable? Any recommendations to clean the ends of the cable....I think there might be some black paint that got sprayed on there. Just lightly sand the ends or?
Yet another "cool factor" part. I bought mine from Terry back a few years ago. You would have thought I won the dam lottery! I was so excited to have found one, install it and have it work! It's the little detail stuff like that, that make for a super cool resto!
I cannot speak for the 7 and 8, but it was standard equipment on the 9. Don't feel bad about never hearing about one. No one else knew about them either until a few years ago. When I first joined the board, it was like deer in the headlights if one were to mention fibre optic, even to the point of saying that 'it hadn't been invented' in '69.
My 69 has the ashtray light, and it also has a cigarette lighter light. When I had the radio out years ago, I found these two capsule-shaped metal receptacles hanging behind the ashtray. The capsules each held a bulb, and the bulb was entirely enclosed, except for tiny hole in the metal, positioned right where the bulb sits, facing downwards, towards the clip. When I touched the capsule to a ground, the little bulb inside lit up. The only way the light can escape is through the little hole.
The metal capsule clips into the top of the ashtray, and the little hole lines up with a hole in the ashtray receptacle. When I turn on the lights, the ashtray lights up with a glow.
And then there's the cigarette lighter. Same capsule-shaped metal receptacle, and on the side of the cigarette lighter receptacle, there's the exact same slot as I found in the ashtray receptacle. I clipped this capsule to the lighter receptacle, and voila, the cigarette lighter hole is dimly lit. When the lighter is in the hole, no light is visible, But when the lighter is out, the receptacle itself glows with a dim light.
I don't smoke, but these two things seem pretty cool.
I've heard of the ashtray light before, but not one in the cigarette lighter. I "think" the Grand Prix may have had that, I'm not sure.
Both my 68 Bird and now my 67 LeMans have the "capsule" light for the lighter. If your car has two "capsules" the second I beleive would be to light the ring around the ignition as the ashtrays do not use a "capsule" they use the fiber optic line that draws it's light from the back of the gauge cluster. Your car may no longer have the correct bezel around the ignition switch for that second "capsule"...
Except....this is a 69, so the ignition switch is in the column.
The ashtray receptacle does have the slot(s), and a little hole, which lines up perfectly with one of these capsule things. Does anyone have a pic of what the fiber optic things looks like?
My '68 has fiber optic for the ashtray. It's about a 12" piece of black jacketed fiber that looks like 14 ga wire but is not as flexible (don't try bending!). It presses into the back of a white bulb socket in the gauge cluster on one end, and into a plastic clip that clips into the top of the ashtray bracket on the other.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Has anyone ever seen the fiber optic turn signal markers on the front fenders of some early 60's Oldsmobiles? I beleive Olds was the first, maybe Cadilac? Nonetheless, it's pretty amazing to think this stuff was being used so long ago. I always think of those old lamps people had in the 70's, all those single strands of fiber optic and only the tips would light up. Kinda cool really...
Chevrolet probably took fibre-optics to the highest level in 1968 when they introduced a fibre-optic light monitor display on the console of the new Corvette. The system used fibre-optic cables from each light assembly (headlights, turn signals and brake lights) to individual indicators on the centre console just behind the shift quadrant. I believe they were used until probably the 1973 model year when some interior re-design took place.
My '69 also has the lightbulb holder and clip on the top of the ashtray holder with a little hole in the bulb case and a little bigger hole in the ashtray holder. When you position the clip correctly the holes line-up and the light illuminates the ashtray. I suspect that they either discontinued the fibre optic in the late '69 production run or started it after a while in the early production run. Wonder if anybody knows?
According to the Classic and Year-one catalogs the light bulb holder on the cigarette lighter retaining sleeve did not appear until 1970....however as these things go they may have started putting them into some 1969 models. Mine does not have one.
Mine has/had both. I think mine was an early production car as it has the astro vent balls with horizontal luuvers instead of the crisscross ones. Classic is wrong more times than not, about firebirds anyway. Don't think I've ever seen an actual bulb for the ashtray light.
Even back with the first 69 I owned in back in 1975 it had the cigarette lighter capsule and the fiber optic cable for the ash tray cam from the back of the dash
86 Pontiac 2+2 69 Firebird Coupe(Under Construction) 69 Firebird 4 speed Vert Driveable but Under Construction 64 1/2 Mustang (Under Construction) 86 Z28 Convertible Weekend driver
Seems to me I was having a rough time getting the ashtray end of the FO cable to anchor last time I had it apart. It goes into a plastic clip I believe. Can't recall exactly what the issue was. Not sure it even is still there. I never open the ashtray.
