Whole Dash Removal

[Warren99]

I'm eventually gonna be removing the whole interior from the 87 Chief I got. To anyone who has removed an entire dash before, is there anything in particular that is like usually extra brittle and should be extra careful with, or something I might not know is still hooked up that I might miss?

[howeitsdone]

It's ALL brittle lol

 

Take your time. Follow the procedure by the book and don't follow YouTube and the rest of the internet's shortcuts. Tried that and stuff broke the first time. 2nd time I did it was by the book and took less than an hour.

 

You might fight with the main harness on the back side. You'll probably break the clips so make sure and have tip-ties for when you install.

[Pete M]

the dashpad surface is insanely brittle.  I mean, on some of them you can push your finger through.   gotta be super duper careful removing those top phillips screws so you don't touch the pad itself.  I recommend buying one of these:

 

 

 

[Minuit]

Long shank screwdriver or a long extension works too.

 

Let's see how good my memory is. I've pulled so damn many of these dashes at this point. I think my fastest time from getting tools out to dash on the floor was 35 minutes, but that is with power tools and it's back when I definitely remembered each tool and the exact order I needed them in. It's been a bit since then.

 

The defrost trim is held in with #2 phillips screws behind the glove box door and then multiple across the top of the dash. Look carefully and make sure you get them all. Once the screws are out, it's still held in tight with several snap fits. I recommend trying to get the snap fits out working from right to left. It doesn't usually want to just come out either, the windshield and A-pillar are in the way. Resist the urge to turn the defrost trim once you start getting the right side of it loose. That's normally the easiest way to break that far driver side snap fit off, and then it'll never fit tight again.

 

The dash bezel is held in by 2 screws above the gauge cluster, one above the headlight switch, and one above the lighter. After that, it's a bunch of snap fits.

 

The lower dash knee panel is held in with 2 big philips (I think they're #3, but I've always used a #2 driver on them just fine, may also be 8mm depending on year) screws at each end on the bottom, and one behind the ash tray in the middle. Open the ash tray and push down on the tab to remove it. Be very gentle doing this as the hinge for the ash tray is brittle. There's also several #2 screws that are readily visible across the front of the panel. Your parking brake release is also bolted to this.

 

At this point, you can loosen (but don't completely remove) the 15mm nuts at the steering column. Loosening will take some pressure off of the dash, but removing them will let the steering column hang, and that's not great for the column or the firewall.

 

Once the lower dash is out, remove the headlight switch by reaching into the hole in the dash under it and pushing on the button. Once you push that button the pull handle can come out, and then a big flat head screw holds it in place. You can unplug the headlight switch and keep it with the dash, but I usually take it out from the dash. This is a good time to take out the bolt for the dash ground. Don't forget it. If you have the twilight sentinel relay, either unplug it or unbolt it.

 

Since the wiring harness is attached to the dash, but stays with the truck when the dash is removed, you've got to remove the electronics from the dash. Remove the instrument cluster, clock, lighter, radio, and switch panels if you have any.

 

Remove at least the first two screws on each lower cab trim. This will allow you to get the kick panels out from under the lower cab trim once their screws are out (they are in deep recesses in the kick panels). Don't bend the lower cab trim too much. Remove it if you can't get the kick panels out. This will reveal two 15mm bolts for the dash under the kick panels. Note that you do not have to remove those bolts. You just have to loosen them some.

 

The dash itself is held in with 2 15mm bolts at each end under the kick panels, 2 15mm nuts at the steering column (the dash is just sandwiched in there), and multiple 8mm (I think) bolts across the top under the defrost duct. Don't lose those top ones, and especially don't drop them into the heater box. Ask me how I know. Magnet, tape in the socket, whatever it takes to keep you from losing them.

 

The dash should be free to move once you have the 15mm bolts and nuts loose and the top bolts out. If not, check for anything you might have missed. Try to avoid touching the vinyl at this point. Try to handle the dash with the metal frame as much as you can.

 

The wiring harness is ziptied to the back of the dash in several places using push-mount zip ties similar to these. I would cut these zipties and just replace them on the re-install.

 

I think that's everything, but there's just as good a chance that I've missed something, but that should get you started.

 

 

[Warren99]

21 hours ago, Minuit said:

 

 

I think that's everything, but there's just as good a chance that I've missed something, but that should get you started.

 

 

Thanks thats a lot of good info. One of the hinges holding the ash tray in are already gone, I'm sure I can cobble something together with superglue or jb weld tho. The wires staying on the cab part sucks to hear, but its probably a good idea to remove all of the electronics anyways. 

[Warren99]

22 hours ago, Pete M said:

the dashpad surface is insanely brittle.  I mean, on some of them you can push your finger through.   gotta be super duper careful removing those top phillips screws so you don't touch the pad itself.  I recommend buying one of these:

 

 

 

 

I'm still gonna be as careful as possible, but I didn't think it was like dodge level of brittle. The regular grey interior in my 89, on the dash it has one spot over the cluster where it cracked and sorta fell apart and split, exposing the foam sort of material inside, but on the rest of the dash I can slam my fist on it and its fine

[Pete M]

assume it is and work accordingly.   can't go back once you find out otherwise.  

[Warren99]

yea

[Airborne Janitor]

Here are my junk yard cliff notes:

 

DASH REMOVAL
- remove lower dash panel
- remove courtesy/ashtray lights 
- disconnect TCU
- remove wiper control unit
- remove steering column nuts
- remove gauge parts
- remove hvac controls (push away)
- remove speedo from cruise [opt]
- remove headlight switch (underdash)
- remove timers/switches (underdash)
- remove ground cable 
- remove trim above dash 
- remove upper dash bolts
- remove lower dash bolts

[Warren99]

I think everything is disconnected now, just need to unbolt/ loosen a few of the bolts then pray I disconnected everything else. Now that the carpet is also up take a look at how bad the rust is, the frame is literally gone and the trans tunnel and roof is the only thing holding the truck together

[Warren99]

Dash is out and I don't think anything broke, the dash was surprisingly healthy feeling, not really brittle at all. 

[Pete M]

[Whitaker717]

Does anyone have a video of this process anywhere? If I keep my Comanche I would like to refinish and paint mine. The process makes me a bit nervous though. 

[saveevryjp1998]

My go to for dash removal if the windshield is to be saved, is a bent harbor freight free Phillips. I put the slight bend in myself and use it to initiate the stubborn start or any tough turns there after getting excellent quarter to 3/4 turns that are a pain. I've never had luck with those swivel extensions here in the rust belt. The harbor freight ones and Lowe's brand ones always dumped out quickly in my tool box. After going through 3 different brands and like $75 bucks in as seen on tv garbage, I made my own version. I just rotate the bent screwdriver and a straight one depending on what's needed the fastest without stripping the heads. If it's a junkyard pull with a cracked windshield or can be, I drill holes through the glass above the heads and bust it out quick with the cordless. The bent Phillips comes in handy busting anything awkward hard to reach. I use it on consoles, doors, sills, and pillars a bunch too.

[Pete M]

3 hours ago, Whitaker717 said:

Does anyone have a video of this process anywhere? If I keep my Comanche I would like to refinish and paint mine. The process makes me a bit nervous though. 

 

there are several vids on youtube.   if they don't pop up for dash removal, look for ones involving heater core replacement. 

[Warren99]

Ok everything is pulled in the engine bay and interior except ac parts, it's still a closed system and hasn't been exposed to atmosphere yet. My plan was to leave the Hvac box or whatever you call the whole assembly in my truck and replace the A/C parts with the ones from this truck. So my question is is there anything else on or inside the Hvac box that I would need and wouldn't already be on my 89 for some reason? here's pics of where I'm at rn

[AZJeff]

If you are going to open up the heater box to do any repair/restoration on it, I STRONGLY advise you to replace the heater core and the evaporator while it's apart.   The parts are not that expensive, but if you choose to save money now, be aware that the labor to change them later means tearing most of the dash back apart again.    (The same thing applies to the blower motor assembly.)

 

Actual removal of the heater box is quite straightforward, with a few studs holding the box to the firewall.  Of course, the coolant must be drained, and the heater hoses must be disconnected.  Likewise, the AC system must be discharged and disconnected to remove the box.

 

When you put it back in, if you do not have access to refrigeration service tools, you can take it to any shop that does have the tools, and tell them what you did.  They can then evacuate and recharge the system to restore it's function.

 

You have your MJ in a state right now that rebuilding the heater box would be a no-brainer, and when you are done, you will never have to worry about it again.
 

If you need more tips on the finer points of doing this, I can provide more, as I just did this on my MJ back in November.

[Warren99]

The MJ in the pics is just a parts truck thats about to be sent to the scrap yard, but the interior is going in mine so I will replace the heater core and evaporator while I'm there.

[Warren99]

One more question for the experts, are the front coils worth keeping since they are a "UP COUNTRY SUSPENSION GROUP" option from factory? Obviously I'm gonna keep the leafs.

[Pete M]

Up country is an XJ thing and was like a 1" lift. 

 

strip the donor truck bare and keep all the parts until you have fully assembled the new truck.  then throw out the extra stuff.   never know what little thing you might need after it snaps on you.

 

if you've never messed with an hvac box before, be prepared for the insanity.  it's crazy how they puzzled it all together. 

 

 

[Warren99]

I aint gonna use the Hvac box bc I can already see parts of it are rusty but I might take it apart just so I kinda know what to expect when I do it on my truck

[howeitsdone]

If that parts truck had AC then the HVAC box would be needed to convert a non-AC truck. Useful to someone I'm sure.

[Warren99]

My truck has a/c, just doesn't work, so I'm using all of the a/c components from the parts truck in mine.

[AZJeff]

58 minutes ago, Warren99 said:

My truck has a/c, just doesn't work, so I'm using all of the a/c components from the parts truck in mine.

I am assuming you know the cause of why your AC doesn't work and are fixing that as part of the process as well.  BTW, if you are not savvy on AC systems, when you replace major components like the evaporator (or whatever), it's good practice to replace the accumulator (aka "receiver/drier") at the  same time.

[Warren99]

Yea I'm not the most well versed on them so I'm gonna do more research before I install it all, planning on replacing whatever I can while its easy. For all I know all of my current a/c parts r fine but I'm pretty sure before it was mine it sat with the condensor off for a while exposing the whole system to atmosphere, which I'm guessing ruined all of the orings. A while ago I did a pressure leak test and vacuum test and it seemed fine but when we tried charging it it suddenly burst from somewhere and leaked it all out. I did eventually find a hose with a big hole rubbed through and so I replaced it but haven't done anything since. I'm planning on just using everything from the donor truck, as well as a new accumulator and anything else thats hard to get to, as well as new orings everywhere. It might be a while before I actually do the swap tho, but I'm gonna pull all of the new a/c parts from the truck soon and cap every fitting off so it's not exposed to atmosphere in the meantime, unless I can somehow remove the entire a/c system without disconnecting it anywhere. If that's possible please somebody let me know.