The face of the ashtray however is Stainless Steel, not chrome. Today I sanded out the Scratches (particularly bad in the top right corner)
I used 400 grade Wet & Dry and worked up to 1200 grit, then rubbing paste and T-cut to finally finish to a mirror scratch free shine. This took about 2 ½ hours by hand for the tiny 2” x 3” piece. I always use a little soap in the water when using the Wet and Dry paper as it stops any grit or removed material scratching the surface and lubricates the paper so it lasts longer.
You could of course use a polishing wheel, but that’s a luxury I don’t have.
All that was left to do was run a M3 die down the two studs on the handle and re-assemble. The tray itself I cleaned up with a brass wire brush and treated the small amount of corrosion with zinc spray.
Slowly but surely I’m finding trim parts from across the globe and straightening and polishing them ready to go back on the car. I’ve literally spent 100’s of hours on these bits so far, but it will be a real joy to put them on my car when the shell is ready. For now though they are collecting nicely in my shed.
In the meantime I’m on the hunt for a rear arm rest that the ashtray sits in if anyone has one?
