LF lower Dash panel removal is a pain!

Well, I took it upon me today to remove the LF lower dash bezel to fix the sticking spedometer needle. Man, what a PITA! I spent a good 1-2 hours on it. Spent alot of time drawing diagrams of main harness and bulb placement. I manage to get it out most of the way to remove the speedo housing, but in the process of removing it, I damage to lower dash pad (cracked it in several places due to age).

So while I have it out, I am going to replace most of the stuff behind it to avoid this again.

I need to know any secrets to put it back in without damaging the new panel.I took the two column nuts off, but it seems I cant get the column to lower enough.

-Emerson

I am in the process of doing the same thing!

Take your time. Make sure it is nice and warm and the vinyl will become soft and will not crack. I sometimes use a hairdryer to carefully heat things up first. I use a space heater in my garage to get it toasty. Make sure to move the hair dryer around so the vinyl does not get to hot and you burn a hole in it.

Test it on a smallpiece where the vinyl wraps aroung the back and you will see how pliable it becomes.

If it is warm and still cracks it is shot and time to find a replacement. You should be able to find a nice used piece. If it is a color other than black you may have a hard time matching the color.

If you do not have an AIM you need to have one to show you how everything goes back. Also the back of the speedo and Tach are well labeled.

If you are up for it, if you remove the dash pad the whole process is a lot easier. Again the pad must be warm!

You will have to remove the pillar post mouldings and slightly bend the front of the dash down to get it around the post. Not too bad to do but it will sure simplify the reinstall of the harness, bulbs etc...

You are going to have to loosen the bezel and driver's side to get the dash pad off. There is also a small bracket you can access from underneath that will have to be unbolted from the pad befor you attempt to get it off.

I have spent an entire day on my 70 and I am still not completely disassembled! You will be fine and so will your toy. Breath deep.



Bill

Oops!

To get more play out of the column you will also have to loosen the plate above the two bolts.

The column will drop down a little more and there is only a rag joint that will give quite a bit as you push down on the column.

A small coating of Vaseline on the areas that rub will also help a lot. Just take your time and be careful. Boy I wish I had though of drawing a diagram before ripping my dash apart for the new harness (NEXT WEEK!)

I had the same problem with my column, and ended up taking it out. When you get to that point, it's only one more bolt, for the rag joint. The wiring harness is actually straightforward, the light bulbs only go in one way, and the back of the speedo. and tach. are labeled.."blue,,,green,,,gray...etc.)
Even a Marine can do it.
Sorry, Davii, old Army grunt here, I couldn't resist.
THANKS FOR SERVING!
P.S. Four more inches of snow here In Wilkes-Barre.
HOORAH!!!

I just put mine back in,also a pain. What I did was have my son hold down the column, laid a thin rag over the top of the column so as not to scratch it. I ended up removeing the pad AGAIN to give us more room. Be sure to check all your lights before buttoning everything up. Just take your time. Everything is marked and is really pretty simple,just a tight fit.

That's alright Gribble. Since you live in Coal Country i'll let you slide on that one. Besides, where would the Marine Corps be without the Army? We wouldn't be such a respected fighting force if there were nobody around to screw things up first!

OK Davii-hehehe, good one. Just to fill you in on what's going on here, Greg Skrepenak is now a County Commisioner, along with another young lad. Get this, Hazleton is NOW included in the goings on in the county.
After the two Toms FUBARed everything up, it's a breath of fresh air. It will be interesting to see what happens.I'll let you know.Have fun in the 'Stumps.
Oh, by the way, another nor'easter for the next two days.
Lucky you got out, HEINAH?

P.S....YOU'RE PART OF THE NAVY...YOU'RE PART OF THE NAVY....sorry, couldn't resist.(again)
How much longer is your enlistment there? I spent my time down Ft.Benning,Ga. (Airborne Infantry)
HOORAH!!!

Yes, Yes, the Marine Corps is a Department of the Navy. The men's department.
Anyway, been here 4 years, Before that I was with the wing in Yuma, AZ, and Okinawa with 3d FSSG prior to that. Right now I teach communications maintenance and fiber optics to young Marines. Great field to be in. Tried to get to the jump school when I re-enlisted the first time, but no go, the monitor wanted me out here for my term school ASAP as we have always been undermanned. Oh well, maybe someday I will get to jump out of a perfectly good Airplane.
I'll tell you, I miss home, but one thing I don't miss is the snow. However, after 7 years in the desert, just give me a tree and maybe a little water and i'll be happy!!!!!

Okay guys, now I have to weigh in...

First, thanks for your service. All of you.

Second, lets remember that all services work together in a joint environment today.

Third, the NAVY is my organization! Let's not forget that without the Navy to bring the equipment and troops, and to provide a patch of US sovereignty in foreign seas, you guys wouldn't have anything to brag about.

Fourth, I've spent just as much time in the desert and operational as you. Can you say: Beirut, Libya, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq?

Why don't we all just play nice and talk about our vettes?
Glenn