Dash Board Removal

[dcrusupra]

Hey all, I was wondering how to remove the dashboard. Like an idea of how many screws there are and the locations of most of them or at least the ones i cant see. I'm converting my interior black via vinyl and cloth spray paint. And it would be difficult and not very bright if i decided to paint the dash in the car lol. So please, any help would be great.

[rnoswal]

I just pulled mine and replaced it. It was the second time I have done this. There are 1,289,069 screws!!! I had a few left over needless to say.

Just kidding, maybe half that. You just have to take things off in order and try to put it back together as soon as possible. You have to remove the center console and the steering wheel first, well disconnect the battery first. Then the shifter, unscrew the shift knob. I started be taking off the glove compartment and everything in it including the ECU. Unplug all the wires. You might want to put the screws in zip lock bags and lable the area they go to. I didn't but most of the screws are the same.

At the lower right and left corners of the dash there are two bolts, 10 mm that are hidden behind the kick panels. After you get the shifter and console out then the ashtray and its mount come out. With the center piece that holds the radio and flasher switch, you have to pry the lip up at the back portion of where the shifter leather cover is. Be careful, but this has to come up and back to get the rest of that center piece to pop out. After you take out the ashtray and its mount, and get that lip up then the center piece will pop out with a little bit of levering around it. Unplug the lighter and any other wires.

Remove the heater control and unplug. After removing the steering wheel, the switches on the left side can be popped out and unplug the wires. There will be two screws exposed now that hold the black plastic cover over the dash instruments. Takle these and the 6 or so screws out and remove that piece. Then the 3 or 4 screws that hold the cluster in. Now you should remove the cover around the steering column and keep those screws together!

Lower the steering wheel and you should be able to pull the cluster. The speedo cable just pops off while pulling and is easy to put back on. unplug all the wires to the cluster and now you should have most everything exposed that you need. There are a few 10 mm nuts towards the back behind the cluster and another above the ECU. Of course you should have pulled the radio out by now too.

Unplug the connector from the dash cluster, then behind the kick panel on the lower left side you have to unplug the wires that come out of the left lower corner of the dash and all plug into the fuse panel area. I never could get the foot rest deal for your left foot loose so I just carefully moved that kick panel piece around to get at the wire harness, but if you can get that panel off, it is a bit easier. All the cover, hood release, vent tube(just pops out) cames out too.

Mostly that is it. Just make sure you have all the wires unplugged. The upper part of the dash is held in by 5 or 6 snap in male connectors. You will hear them pop out as you pull back on the dash. You will see if there are any other wires you may have missed, the large rubber hose behind the radio and the 2 screws that hold the center heater opening in.

Have fun and since you have gone this far you may want to try checking the heater core, because if it goes out, you have to do all this again!

Let us know how it goes or email me if you want.

Russ

[Burn N' Up]

Hey guys,
Just did this and here is a little update for you homies doing your 1989 Turbo Dashes.

Pull the center console out, its so worth it. Also drop the e brake so its down.

There is a wire with a gray connector running from behind the passenger portion of the dash to the fire wall, be sure to disconnect it too.

This is a good time to tighten up all your frame bolts if they are getting loose, two on my main dash crossmember were.

I also DCed the ABS computer and pulled it.

If you are removing the heater core you can do so, without removing and having o discharge the AC unit, by pulling out the dash crossmember and its two center console plate/bar things. Then just disconnect the two hoses in the engine bay, pull the distribution vent from under the heater unit, un do the two or so screws that connect the AC to the heater and give it a tug. If you want to pull the entire unit out you'll also have to disconnect the servo motor wires. I just pulled mine clear, and then grabbed the core and pulled it out without dcing anywires, its not secured in any fashion.


Goodluck!

[KNYFE]

Planning to do a dash swap this weekend. Will hopefully be able to post pics and get some detail with the writeup.

[tone loc]

how do i get the center console out i know about the 3 screws in the back. is there any others? thanks

[tone loc]

anybody anybody

[dcrusupra]

Which center console? The piece with the armrest?

[tone loc]

nevermind i figured out. the radio center just pulls off and then theres screw by the shifter and then there is another screw under the little carpet in the little carpartment. thanks anyway.


but i do have a second problem. i fond that one of the radio screws is completely striped. any advice on how to fix that. thanks for the imput.

[tone loc]

and how do i remove the steering whell on an 1987. thanks

[dcrusupra]

There are three screws behind the steering wheel to take the center cap off. Then once you have the center cap off, theres one big nut in the center. Loosen the nut, but dont take it off. The steering wheel will be very hard to take off, and if you take the nut off your gonna smack your head with the wheel when it finally pops off. Good luck. And hope its not like mine. The previous owner of my car welded the steering wheel onto the steering arm.