step by step dash removal with pictures

[v8only]

I can't answer that. This dash was an 81 dash or so that I had pulled from the junkyard and installed into my 86 vert, then pulled it again at a later date so as to install the correct dash with the right radio opening

of course I then never installed the right radio after all that, lol......

so when this dash went in, it likely got a grab bag of whatever screws I had laying around.

[blue beast]

wow! nice write up, i removed it all piece by piece last summer...wish i didnt as it fell apart in the process and i dont know exactly how to reinstall it, but hpefully wont be an issue as ill be using the cougar dash (fingers crossed)

[Black1985]

Nice write up. Very informative. Thanks for posting.

[CRAZYHORSE R1]

Thank you v8only for posting this for us!!!!

[chadwicks]

Very good write up.. kudos

[homer302]

The first trick is knowing what you need to reach. The dash assembly was designed
to be installed (and removed) as a complete assembly. You don't even need to take
out the instrument cluster or radio, if it's still using factory wiring. Most guys really
overwork themselves trying to leave the harness in the car. You've got basically
six groups of things that need to be disconnected to get the whole dash out with
the harness, radio, and ductwork, still in it.

There is a group of connectors in the left side cowl area, behind the kick panel, and
also the foglight switch and indicator connections, if you have 'em.

The next group of connectors goes to the switches on the steering column, the interval
wiper control module, if equipped, and the brake light switch.

There's another group of connectors in the area of the cowl-to-transmission-tunnel brace
behind the radio, and also the radio antenna cable, and the connectors at the forward
end of the console, if equipped. The console does not have to be removed, but it does
make it a bit easier to get to it's connectors.

To the right of the glovebox, there's a couple more connectors, more or less, depending
on year, model, and options.

Then you have the cables to the blower motor resistor and the blower motor itself,
the heater temp control mechanical cable, and a vacuum hose harness plug.

Finally, there's another group of cables up over the top of the porkchop brace, buried
up behind the instrument cluster area, as well as the speedometer drive cable.

That last group is the only one that's a bit of a pain, because there is no access hole
behind the instrument cluster, or in the top of the dash. You have to unbolt the dash,
pull it back away, and tilt it down. Then reach in behind to disconnect the speedometer
cable and the four harness connectors on top of the porkchop brace. Once those are
undone, you should be able to pull the entire dash out of the car.

One tip about all these connectors- They are old and kinda brittle, and the locking tabs
Ford used are a complete pain. If you end up breaking any locking tabs, and you will,
you can use tie-wraps to secure the connectors when you put them back together.

I also like to put a bit of dielectric grease in each female connector pin before I plug
things back together. If you have the dash out, it's a good idea to do that to all the
connectors before you put the dash back in the car.

Just wanted to reiterate this^^^^^ This write up is waaayyyyyy too much work. There is no reason to remove the instrument cluster, surround, headlight switch, HVAC controls, speakers, none of that. What a LOT of extra work. You remove the dash by unplugging the few harnesses and take it all out in one piece with the wiring harness intact. The HVAC vacuum harness unplugs right behind the glovebox . That is how it is designed to be removed.

[GIXER7502006]

doing this later today and want to mark it for future reference

thanks homer for saving me some work

[Matt J]

Thanks for this thread, it really saved my butt, and allowed me to get the chipmunk/squirrel/mouse mess out of the heat duct. Great reference!

[83_SSP]

Thank you so much for the write up! saved me some time and from taking too much apart. I've been lurking here for some time now but decided to create an account to express my gratitude for this write up and the heater core one. now im so confident that i have no worries next time i take one apart to do my interior swap.

[poetnprophet]

Oh, so this is where I got the write up from about 2 months ago. This was key to helping me get to the heater core AND putting everything back together properly

So, thanks to the OP

[v8only]

Glad its still doing good for you all

[teddy1500]

I need to be able to find this later

[HAD85B4]

This look so much easier than the various threads on remving Aero Fox dashes. The 87-93 cars look like a huge PITA!

[Capriman86]

I have done both now and to be honest, one isn't any more harder than the other, once you have done 1 it's not as hard as it seems and the second one goes much quicker.

Taking the whole DASH out scared me on our Aero, but it still wasn't THAT bad.
I had to replace the dash harness as there was a bunch of shorted wires, along with the last owner doing a redneck heater core change and needed an new heater box.

[quickerstang]

I have done both aero and 4 eye and think the aero is a little easier, but neither one is too bad. Nice write up Jeremy

[poetnprophet]

Is that remnants of duct tape on the heater box area? Yikes!

[kj_80Cobra]

I need to be able to find this later

Subscribe to this thread. Go up to the top of the page and click on Thread Tools, click on Subscribe to this Thread, follow instructions. Later on to find this thread, click on Quick Links at the top of the page and click on Subscribed threads.

[Capriman86]

Is that remnants of duct tape on the heater box area? Yikes!

There is all sorts of WTF in there....LOL

[grtskydog]

I'll jump in here and second what Jeff and homer said earlier on. This is a pretty easy job and many steps from Jeremy's original post are not required. I just acquired a pristine dash from an 85 at the pick-n-pull today. Thanks to this thread, I probably spent 1.5 hours pulling this dash (I could do it much faster now). I removed five 11mm bolts under the dash, and five 7mm hex-head screws from the top of the dash. --See pics-- Four 9/16 nuts come off the studs that hold the steering column up, plus the 2 holding the hood release on those studs. My donor was a vert, so there was a "gotcha" screw holding the courtesy lamp bracket to the dash near the fuse box.

Once these were removed and the column dropped, it was easy to reach back and disconnect the speedo cable. There was plenty of room to reach back and disconnect the HVAC vacuum lines (a dedicated disconnect, not the back of the controller), and you can remove the heater/mixer cable at the ducting...not at the controller, it stays put. In my case, I took all the wiring/ducting with me, so there were no broken tabs...I cut the wires and kept both ends of the terminals (muah-hahahaha!) Now I can take my time restoring this dash (NOT breaking terminal tabs), reinforcing it, and rewiring it with the help of the diagrams on this site.




This is the driver's side...not the best pic due to sun glare. The red arrows are the 11mm bolt locations...1 by kick panel, 1 above steering column, 1 on the brace by the radio. The yellow arrows are the ones on top of the dash. Jeremy's pics show philips head screws, but these were 7mm hex screws. There were only 5 and they were the 5 I needed to pull. The blue arrow is the "gotcha" I mentioned. It's where the screw holding the courtesy lamp went through the dash hull.




Here's the passenger side. You can see up top where the other 2 screws were. The 11mm bolts were under the glove box and by the kick panel. Easy as pie.

Hope this adds to the thread about pulling dashes out. I know it helped me, so I'm giving back.

[K PONY]

Dashes were a sub assembly built off from the main assembly line and came ready built to the mainline with all the wiring, cluster, radio, HVAC controls... a line side operator installed 60-65 dashes per hour

[grtskydog]

LOL, no doubt. Now here I am 28 years later taking an hour and a half to pull just one, knowing if I look at it wrong, I'll crack something. This one wasn't too brittle, though. Must have been a garage queen. I lucked out...usually at the yards, guys tear up a good dash trying to get to something else, or just don't know how to properly remove one.

I'll be the blind squirrel on this one.

[homer302]

I'll jump in here and second what Jeff and homer said earlier on.

Hope this adds to the thread about pulling dashes out. I know it helped me, so I'm giving back.

Thanks for posting up! I was also trying to help when I posted a long time ago. The original post adds at least 40-50 minutes to the project for no reason. I'm not perfect, that's for sure. We ALL still have a lot to learn. I wasn't trying to insult the OP, just educate. Nobody knows everything about everything as they say.

[ry4ns302]

I only wasted about 30 minutes playing with the dash before I spent another 30 minutes finding this thread. Thanks OP!

Sticky this>

[IDMooseMan]

I have this one subscribed for future reference.

[KevinD]

Thanks to this thread, swapping the heater core in my Fairmont wagon was a LOT less of a headache than I thought it would be. To reward myself, tomorrow I will at least start swapping the heater core in my 80 Thunderbird. Yea?