Dash Frame removal?

[beeguy]

I have everything out of my '70 Bee except the dash and the whole car is about ready to start priming.

Should I leave the dash in the car or remove the frame and all? I need to restore and repaint the whole rally dash assembly so would I be better off to do it in the car or take the whole thing out as a unit? I have zreo rust issues so there is no reason to remove the dash other than to restore it.

It looks like getting it out with no windshield or anything else in the way wouldn't be that tough, or am I in for a nightmare I don't want?

 

[Pistol Pete]

Instrument panels can be a real PITA to get out sometimes. If the car is all together and you don't want to yank the windshield, everyone usually just deals with it in the car. In your case however, I see no reason NOT to take out the entire dash. It'll be much easier to restore on a bench.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I'll second that. Save yourself the torture.

 

[Rob R]

If the window is out of the car take it out...there's only two bolts on either side and the two bracket (one on each side) and 6 bolts under the window seal...that way you can put new firewall insulation in at the same time.
Very easy job to do...do it once do it right.IMHO

 

[charger70]

I'm with Rob, if the glass is out, pull it for the resto.
To make it real easy, pull the steering column first, so you can do that right too.
Then loosen, but don't take the two bolts under the dash sides all the way out.
Use those to support the weight of the dash, --unhook everything you can ---then take out the bolts from under windshield gasket.
The dash will rock back and because it is slotted, you can lift it off those lower bolts.
And if you find you havent unhooked everything, at least your not carrying the whole weight.
Still not really a one man job but it works good.

 

[beeguy]

I got it out, really not that bad of job since I had most of it torn apart anyway. when I go to put it back in I wonder if I could put the cluster and as much other stuff as possible in the frame and then hook the wires up before I rock it back towards the windshield? I have to think the factory had a way of doing it like that rather than spend hours laying on your back reaching for things you can't see.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I got it out, really not that bad of job since I had most of it torn apart anyway. when I go to put it back in I wonder if I could put the cluster and as much other stuff as possible in the frame and then hook the wires up before I rock it back towards the windshield? I have to think the factory had a way of doing it like that rather than spend hours laying on your back reaching for things you can't see.

That's exactly what I'm going to do. All wiring, gauges, etc will be in and hooked up then install as a unit. It has to be the way they did it.

 

[69 Runner]

Yep. That's how Ma did it. Dashes were built up as a unit, then stuck in the car.

 

[BlueSS454]

Definitly pull the whole dash out. I'm faced with do I want to pull the windshield out to redo the dash now. I have to put a dash harness in my car which I should have done while it was apart, but didn't have the extra $500 for it at the time. Mine has all that accessory wiring in it also. I'm not looking forward to this job and I'm leaning more towards pulling the windshield out so I can put the entire dash on my bench and redo it.