Dash Removal?

[Cobra516]

How hard is it to remove and put the dash back in the square bodies?....i wanna take all that out and paint it....but i dont wanna get myself into trouble by not knowing how to hook everything back up

[Mikz86TA]

Not real hard. You will nbeed to remove the electronics first like spakers, radio and cluster.
Contact 87Wildside. He has done it a few times.

[Cobra516]

thanks for the info man :)

[Cameo_S10]

Just replacing my digital dash took me about 3 hours. My first time tho.

[Tink]

The whole dash or just the instrument cluster?

For the instrument cluster, you need to remove the lights control plate. Some models may have a small Rear Defogger or fog light control plate that will need to be removed first to access the lights control plate screws. Just some philips head screws... Keep in mind that light switches ALWAYS have power running to them. Then you need to remove the Heater/Defrost/AC control panel. Some models may have a small Power Mirror control panel that will need to be removed first to access the Heater/Defrost/AC control panel screws. Same here - philips screws. In addition to some electrical connectors, there are little clamps holding on the vacuum lines and temp. selector cable. The best way to remove the clamps is with needle-nose pliers. For the temperature selector, use a small flat-headed screw driver to depress the tab holding in the red plastic. Use caution as this is often very brittle and may break. Once those are out, the bezel is 10mm nuts and the instrument cluster is the smae. If you have an automatic transmission, remove the top screws holding on the trim plate under the steering column. This can stay half-attached as you will only need to get to the top of the steering column. Then you'll need to detach the shifter cable from the steering column before you can pull out cluster.

If you need to pull the whole dash, then you'll also need to remove the speakers (torx, don't remember the size), glove box door, radio, trim and ashtray. There are two 10mm bolts on each side of the dash by the kick panels. All the trim under the dash (mostly 7 mm bolts) needs to go, there are 2 10mm that hold on the hood release, then the parking break cable - if you engage it, you can use a pair of needle nose to remove the cable from the assembly. There is a 10 mm to the right of the steering column and I think there is one under the dash in the middle as well. You'll also need to drop the computer - one 7mm bolt on the passenger's side - it is up behind the dash and should slide down and out. There are 4 7mm bolts by the defrost vents up top. Now, if this dash has never been removed from the truck before, there are 2 7mm bolts that you can get to inside the speaker holes that hold the wiring harness to the back of the dash - those are the worst - hard to get to and you can barely turn them. Then there are some clips that also hold the wiring harness in... behind the instrument cluster and along the 'tray'/space under the radio and glove box.

I think that about covers it... just pulled the one out of the 91 Blazer yesterday, so it is pretty fresh.

[Yeehaw92]

YOU DO NOT NEED TO TAKE THE DASH APART TO PULL IT!!!!
undo the bolts at the top.7mm

there is one bolt at each bottom corner 10mm

unbolt the steering column 2 15mm and 4 10mm

unclip everything

there is a 10mm bolt under where the column was to the right

then go under the hood and remove the washer tank 2 10mm

then unbolt the fuse block, forget the size, and pull it free from inside.

then tip the dash forward and there is like 6-7 connections to undo and its out.

this wat will save you a ton of trouble and damage to the delicate dash pad, ive pulled atleast 10 dashes this way. just use common sence.

[Yeehaw92]

maybe someone can fill in wat io missed, my hand is killing me and the percs are giving me brain farts

[hero dave]

that crash F'ed you up man! take it eazy!!!

[Tink]

then unbolt the fuse block, forget the size, and pull it free from inside.


The one on the engine side? It is a 1/4".

Interesting... I've never tried to remove a dash that way...

[hero dave]

I think it's a 6.5 mm everything it metric on the pos. I think it is close enought tho, that you can get it out with a 1/4 inch

[Cameo_S10]

Just replacing my digital dash took me about 3 hours. My first time tho.

Dave helped me with mine, not physically. Thanks again Dave.:D

[Cobra516]

lol, ok....wont be till summer anyways so i can paint it....made the mistake last winter of painting the inside of the doors gloss black where they shut....well, it was cold...but i shook the can reallllly good :D haha....when i looked at it the next day, they had turned a realllly dull grey color, lol