dr bob

Gosh Ryan--

Just undo the six bolts and see if the dash falls out into your lap. Doesn't sound like that big a chore to me, once you get to where you are now. All the hard work is already done.

Q: Why are you removing the dash?

Bill Ball

Yeah, Ryan. You've even perturbed the most mellow dr bob.

RyanPerrella

I know, what is the world coming to!

I'm pulling the dash in the GT to replace it with a non cracked one.

Same goes for the pod

dr bob

So you have another dash to look at before you pull the one in the car. How many bolt holes are there, and where are they? Rocket surgery this ain't.


Most mellow dr bob? Gosh, thanks! Never thought about myself that way.

RyanPerrella

Actually Bob the other dash is still in the other car. So no i cant just look at holes. But otherwise i get where your going.

I have the center console out again and the 4 bolts on the sides of the dash out and am trying to locate the bolts that are in the upper vent area of the dash.

I am trying to figure out how to pull the defrost vent trim parts. I want to make sure i understand how they come out before trying to just pull them so i dont destroy any mounting tabs or anything.

I looked up from the underside of the dash but see nothing but wiring and sound proofing material. No bolts, and i cant visually locate the top cross bar which i think the dash is bolted to from below. Its not visible.

I will try looking through the AC ducts that feed air into the door panels but have to run and do some other things now. If anyone that has experience with this is reading this and has any suggestions please let me know so i can try and tackle it later tonight.

Bill Ball

Take a look inside the plastic vent trim. You'll notice some cut tabs. Pry them inward with a small screwdriver and the trim piece and rubber will pull out. Then you should be able to look inside and up towards the top of the dash and spot those the last bolt on each side.

RyanPerrella

Ok Bill I have located the bolt on the drivers side. Currently getting access to the passenger side to take a look at it. Now my question is......how the hell are we going to get these bolts back in? I dont see how they can be installed. But how did they do it at the factory? There must be a way, but i just dont see it right now.

Also I was thinking access was through the vents at the top of the dash. I was referring to those as the defrost vents. But apparently they just stay there, no need to pull those.

Bill Ball

We got the bolts out with long extensions and a universal joint and socket. Use a U-joint with a spring around it that will help hold it straight so the bolt doesn't fall out of the socket as you poke it back up there.

Yes, the defrost vents stay in - they mount under the dash.

RyanPerrella

my u-joint is crap and is binding up. I need one that can rotate at a 45 deg angle. This one seems to bind at anything over 30 so its less then ideal. So thats my hold up now. I will try and shop for a better one tomorrow and then it should be ok. I do think it maybe a PITA to get the bolt reinstalled, but not impossible. Probably one of those things that will take an hour to do per side, but its doable so i'm moving forward.

Thanks for the help

Bill Ball

Yeah, sometimes the little things can stop you if you don't have just the right tool. The driver side bolt can be seen from the pod cutout, but there was not enough room for any tool that we had to get on the bolt head and turn.

RyanPerrella

Well its out!

I went to Sears and picked up a single piece 10mm socket with swivel and it worked like a charm. I also have less doubt about getting the screws in now.

The steering wheel must come out but that was easy enough. Make sure you mark the wheel and steering shaft before removing the wheel.

There is one wire connection for the glove box lights which must be disconnected as well as a small group of black boxes next to the glove box which you can simply unbolt before fully removing the dash.

LET THE SWAP BEGIN!

Second dash is out, no other issues. All in all it was allot easier then i was expecting. I pulled the pod, center console and dash in the second car in about 2 hours. Now to clean and reinstall!

RyanPerrella

I have the dash installed and what i thought would be a real pain (the 2 bolts through the vents) was actually pretty easy. Install wasn't too bad. The first dash is back in and the second will be in tonight.

Couple helpful hints. Well everytime i went to align the dash one of the metal clip on nuts came off, or was dislodged, or moved. So be careful with these things. Makes sure they are all where they are supposed to be before you go tightening it up.

Also make sure that you get the one slip in clip in the center of the dash where its supposed to be before tightening down.

Below is a picture of the 10mm swivel socket i used. It worked perfectly. Was bought at sears for $8-$9 and is what i would suggest to anyone doing this. Again the installation of these 2 hidden bolts was much easier then i would have thought.