Ok so I pulled out the rotted vinyl dash covering, pretty straight forward until you get around the instrument cluster bubble. Obviously I need the new window to dash trim, but do i need to pull off the mostly verical dash panel to properly install the vinyl dash covering?

When I did mine everything was taken apart so I dont have an answer for you, but I made a huge mistake of using spray glue on the foam to make the vinyl adhere. The foam disintegrated after a few days and now the dash cover looks like shit. Just lay the cover over the foam and pinch it down with the dash and the windshield trim and push the edges in with a plastic spatula.

Or use a glue made for foam...

That piece doesnt need glue, it just sits atop the foam and is held down by the dash and the windshield trim.

Thanks for the help & info guys, i realy appreciate it, i'm just now learning this car. all sorts of little gotchas popping up!