I've been trying to take apart the interior of my car to clean it out, and inspect the floor boards. I was curious how to get the shifter out of the center console, and how the dash panel comes out, as well as the dash pad?

 

If I remember right, once you remove the console from the mounting brackets. Remove the faux wood ball, just unscrew it from the shifter. Then lift the console and rotate it 90 degrees so the T part of the shifter will fit through the slot. Then lift the console up and off the shifter.

I've got pictures of where the mounting studs are located on the 1968-69 dash, but haven't been able to locate the old thread where I posted them. I may have to go back through my photobucket pictures to find them again.

The dash pad is fastened to the plastic instrument panel. You have to remove them together as a unit then separate them from each other.

John

 

Do a search. I'm pretty sure I posted a pic of the assembly manual page that shows the location of the dash speed nuts too. Regardless, get the assembly manual from www.wildaboutcars.com.

 

There are 4 screws at the bottom of the console compartment that attached the console to the mounting bracket. These are often rusted (at least mine were). With these out and the two in the front of the console you should have freed the console. Then as noted it is just a matter of removing the ball and rotating the console 90 degrees to slide it up and off. Good luck.

Sean

 

Actually, the plastic slider in the chrome top plate won't fit over the finger grip no matter which way you rotate it. Once you unscrew the shift ball, you'll see a roll pin holding the finger grip to the shifter lever. Simply tap this roll pin out, the finger grip comes off, and you can remove the console with no rotating, gyrations, or anything.

 

I searched for at least two days before I posted. I couldn't find anything on how to go about it. I got the shift **** off and saw the roll pin. The center console is now removed. The dash I'm still a confused about how to do it?

 

Have you downloaded the assembly manual yet?

 

No I can't find it on the website previously mentioned?

 

Nevermind I just found it... sorry

 

Thanks for going back and finding it. Finding things on wildaboutcars.com can be challenging at first but once you find your way around it becomes much easier. The Assembly Manual is invaluable when you're trying to take something apart or put it back together.


I've probably posted this three or four times here and on Realoldspower.com but it never seems to come up in a search so here goes:


1968 and 1969 dash and pad removal are identical. The lower plastic dash and pad come out as one unit and cannot be removed separately.


Before you try to do anything behind the dash remove the front seats and shifter console. Disconnect any wiring harnesses, heater controls, etc., that you can get to.


There are 9 speed nuts and one pressed in post that hold the dash assembly in place. The 9 speed nuts must be removed before the pressed in post can be popped out. It will take various combinations of body contortions, nut drivers, 1/4" universals, and extensions to get at all the speed nuts. An A/C car will only make it worse. Once the speed nuts are removed I place a short rod or ratchet extension against the back of the pressed in post (shown as going into the 393022 CLIP below) and give it a good rap with a small hammer. If you try to pull the dash pad off from the front before doing this you'll either tear the pressed in post out of the dash or break the pad. No matter how hard you try, it won't come out without popping it out from the back post first. Once you get it loose there may be one last ground jumper wire that was installed after the pad is in place and it goes around the back on the metal dash just below the gauge pods. That has to be removed before the dash assembly will come out. I can do the whole removal process in about an hour now. It seems to take twice as long to put one back in. The friggen speed nuts seem to always pop out of the sockets and land in that depressed tray area in the bottom of the dash where only a small child's fingers will ever reach.......