Before I break my back tackling this, has anyone come up with a better way of swapping this out? Looking for tips and tricks from those that have found an "easier" approach to changing the light switch in the dash on a '70.

 

Following. I need to do the same. I was thinking about pulling out the rally pod some to see if that could make a little more room.

 

Get a couple LED lights, the small ones with the magnet base.
Pull the drivers seat (or bench) and put a moving blanket on the floor and on the back seat (prevent scuffs, or remove it too.).
Relax and take your time.

 

The toughest thing is pulling and replacing the wire plugs. There is no room in there.

 

I used a combination of access, partly thru the fuel gauge hole and from underneath - the top mounted plug was a b!@%# to remove from what I believe was still the original switch that was still in my car when I got it in 2016, I think I recall having turned the switch sideways to remove mine. I didn't have to remove the seat.

I dabbed the contacts of the replacement switch with grease when I installed it along with my new wiring harness back then, assuming that would help with removing the plug if there was a next time needed for replacement again.