Dash removal instructions Options

[ONTHEGRIND]

Tried to search but couldnt find anything would like to review Before I start..

Thanks

[Rob-O]

Or you can remove the entire dashboard. Takes quite a bit of time, but once off it's easier to refurbish the entire dash area. And by entire dash area I mean the upper vinyl between the windshield and the dash top, the dash top itself and the facing material.

There are 9 bolts/screws that hold the entire dash onto the car.

I should take some pictures here, but the general procedure is to pull the gas tank. Then remove the fresh air/defrost system. Removing the windshield wiper system isn't absolutely needed but it helps. Along the underside of the cowl you'll see 4 nuts. Remove those.

In the interior of the car, remove the lower dash pad. There are four or five screws along the bottom of the lower dash pad. There are alo two screws (one per side) of the lower dash pad. You actually have to have the doors open to get to these (and a small screwdriver). These screws are covered by a small plastic cover. Once the lower dash pad is off, there are two screws visible in the area where you just took off the screws holding the side of the lower dash pad on. Remove the two screws (there are two on the drivers side and two on the passenger side). After that, there is large screw or nut (can't remember which) under the dash near where the radio is located. Once you pull that off the dash is free of the car.

You will still need to remove the gauges (and be smart, either mark the wires or make a diagram of where they all go). You can pull the knobs off of the headlight and use a quarter or needle nose pliers to get the switch screws off. That way you don't have to undo all the wires to the headlights, fog lights (if equipped) and hazard lights.

The only things left after that are the radio (if you have one equipped), the fresh air/defrost controls (all you really need to do here is remove the chrome bezel, the controls themselves can stay in the car). You may wish to undo the cigarette lighter wires from the back of that, as well as the 'Fasten Seat Belt' light (again, if so equipped).

Now you're just left with the steering column. Pull the steering wheel (directions elsewhere on this site) and pull the rest of the column.

At this point you'll have the whole dash out and you can replace that nasty vinyl at the top of the dash. You can access all of the plastic nuts under the dash easily, and you can pull the metal off the face of the dash and replace that easily.

While a lot of work (or it sounds like it), it really goes faster than it sounds and you can have the whole dash off in a few hours. In addition to the dash, you now have the perfect opportunity to clean up the windshield wiper linkage (and don't forget to pull the cover off of the gearing on the windshield wiper motor and clean and re-grease). You can finally fix or replace that faulty fresh air fan, You can easily clean all of the connectors on the fresh air controls so that they make contact again, and you can clean up the defrost/fresh air parts under the cowl. It's also now super easy to replace all those lines on the windshield washer system. You know, those lines that you don't have hooked up because the system has leaked for years and years.