car_designer

I am trying to take the dash out of my 72 Cutlass. I have a second one I will be putting in the car and it has come in handy for locating all the nuts that need to be removed. I think I have them all off except for 1. It is located between the driver's side dash vent (A/C vent?) and the end of the dash. I have taken the fuel gauge out to try and get at it, but the duct for the vent is still in the way.

Any advice to get at that nut?

Aceshigh

Man I've tried every angle, and every tool, and I couldn't get that far left nut off to save my life.

I wonder how the hell they got it ON in the 1st place.

bgoble

I was able to get mine out but I had to remove the vent and hose and the headlight switch. I have large hands maybe you wont have to take out the light switch. Good luck.

2blu442

I don't think there's a nut on that one. I know there's one that just has a metal clip thingy on it so if you gently pry it out the threaded stud will pop out of the clip. I know I've got pictures of this, I'll try to find them. John

fjross

I believe John is correct. Give a good tug straight back and it should pull out of the friction clip. Don't feel bad, I looked for this nut for a while also, by the looks of my arm, I would of swore that there was a tiger back there.

jpaulwhite

Oh no I'm dreading pulling my dash. CURSES!!!!

fjross

If you label all your wire connections (I used a P-touch), bag and label all your hardware and take a bunch of pics, you will be alright. You need to strip it down as much as possible before removing. The only thing that I left on the dash where the two flexible duct hoses that go to the left and right hand side vents. I thought that the installation would be a lot harder than it was. This is one task you want to take your time on and double check that all your plugs and vacuum hoses are connected before installing the next item.

fjross

If anybody is interested, I have a re-padded black dash for a 70-72 dash that was done by Dash Specailties for sale. Asking $375.00 shipped.

Thanks Dave

MHENDERSON

My 71 Cutlass had a nut on the far left and it was a nightmear getting it out!Take out the headlight switch. Then it will be easier to get back together.A nut on left side, bolt on the right. Good luck.

2blu442

Well, maybe the assembly plants did it differently. I've pulled several dashes from the 1970-72 vintage and I thought they all had the clip. But to be on the safe side you should try using a mirror and bright flashlight to look at it from the back side. I know I once spent a lot of time trying to find the right sized socket to fit on this clip Here's a couple pictures from the dash pad side on a 1971 Cutlass. John

P1010151.jpg

P1010152-1.jpg

spyke

well i have a 70 model and i want to remove just the rubber part of my dash without removing the speedometer and all the other gauges,is there a way for me to pull that part of the dash off without removing everything else.

ziff396

That is one job that I do not care to tackle again! What a nightmare. And yes, there were plenty of curses.

fjross

Unfortunetly not.

spyke

so in order to get it out i have to runjemove the speedometeer and all thing

fjross

If you are looking to take the padded section of the dash out, it is a major project. There are studs along the bottom and sides that you need to remove the nuts off of and the friction clip thats shown in the beginning of this thread. The plastic section will come out with the padded section as well as where the ash tray/radio/ac controls, wiper switch all attach. This plastic section needs to be installed/removed while the padded section of the dash is out of the car since you need to access these fastners. You will also find that there are many straps for the wire harnesses that are attached to this plastic section. All ac ducts need to be disconnected as well as wiring to all switches. If you are thinking of doing this, I would recommend purchasing the assembly manual. I'm sure if you look at past dash threads, you may come across this page of the manual with the mounting points. It also shows where the plugs for the wire harness are that need to be disconnected and where the wires are routed. You can plan on some time to have your arms heal up from the bangled tiger thats back there also.