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How to remove and reinstall the dashboard


kev
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The following thread contains step by step instructions on how to remove and reinstall a starquest dashboard.   This process was performed on an 88 conquest tsi, although it is compatible for 86-89 cars.  It can also be used on 83-85 models with a few minor variations, particularly the lack of a knee panel under the steering console on the earlier model cars.  I do explain the differences noted between the years within the write-up.

This process is pretty simple and straightforward and doesn’t require any specialty tooling with exception to a steering wheel puller.   It is somewhat time-consuming but the operation dictated in this thread took 4.5 hours from start to finish and that included diagnosing and repairing an issue that I was having with the heater core, hence the reason why this particular dash was removed/reinstalled.   The time may be greater for someone performing this task for the first time but I was also taking my time to document the process along the way, which does add time. 

I apologize that some photos are cloudy or blurred.   It was a hot day at the time and some of the areas were dark and cramped and difficult to get a clear focused picture but they should all be sufficient to show the process. 

Tools required:

·         Phillips screwdrivers, various sizes

·         8mm, 10mm, & 17mm sockets with various length extensions and ratchet

·         Steering wheel puller or harmonic balancer puller with M8-1.25 bolts

·         Nylon trim removal tool (optional – could use a screwdriver carefully)

·         Telescopic magnet

·         Needle-nose vise grips, as applicable (see write-up)

·         Factory supplied torx socket

Dash Removal:

The following order of operations is just a suggestion.  You may deviate, as required, but I tried to focus on removing the largest obstructions first following by focusing on one side of the dash and then to the opposite.  

The first step is to unplug the battery.  I didn’t have a photo of this but at a minimum, remove the negative battery cable because we will be unplugging many electrical connections as part of the operation. 

The next thing I like to do is to get the automatic seat belts out of our way (applicable only to 87-89 cars).   Locate the torx socket in the glovebox.  

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Pop the rubber cap off the inside of the seatbelt where it connects to lever on the A-pillar (assuming that the seatbelts are in the open condition)

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Use the torx socket to remove the bolt.   Put the bolt back in the bracket so it doesn’t get lost and re-insert the rubber plug in the seatbelt.   Repeat for the other side.  The seatbelts will retract to the center console area.

Note:  we will be removing many items as part of this process.  Try to either thread the fasteners back in their respective places upon removal or appropriately store and label them such that they do not get lost or mixed up. 

 

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Next is to get that steering wheel out of the way.   For 85-89s, simply pop the steering wheel center off.  For 83-84 cars, there will be four phillips head screws on the back side of the steering wheel that require removal to get the center pad off. 

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Using a 17mm socket, extension, and ratchet, remove the nut holding the steering wheel to the column.  You may have to hold the steering wheel to achieve the force required to break free the nut.

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Install your steering wheel puller with the M8-1.25 threaded bolts into the two holes in the steering wheel (next to the center nut).   Pop the steering wheel carefully.  You may want to leave the 17mm nut on there loose to prevent the puller bolt from slipping off the column and damaging the threads.   Just get it to pop free..don’t pull the steering wheel off yet!

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Now, make sure the steering wheel is nice and straight.  If you don’t have to turn the wheels or touch the column as part of your repair, this will let you simply pop the steering wheel back on in the end without worrying about clocking its position.  

Once it is nice and straight, remove it from the column.  Remove your puller from the wheel.  Stow away the nut and lock-washer. 

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Isn’t it so much better now that the seatbelts and steering wheel are out of the way?   Now we have room to work. 

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Next step is to get the center console out of the way, but in order to do that, we have to pull off the lower kick panel under the glovebox on the passenger side.

There are two Philips head screws securing the panel to the dash

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Pull the panel towards you to get it to pop out.  You can see the two clips in the photo below that need to be pulled free to remove it.   Unplug the interior temperature sensor on the panel, as shown.  Stow the panel and thread the two screws back into their original spots for safe keeping.

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Remove the philips head screws on the side carpeted panels.  There is one in the vent and one hidden up in the back.   Note that my panels were not secured on this car, but I show where the screws are.

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The back one is kind of tucked up there a bit.  Note that my screwdriver isn’t in the right spot in this photo, it is slightly up from where the screw should be.  

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Pull the panel down and out and stow it away.   Repeat for the drivers side.  There is room to access the screws on that side at this stage.

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If it is a manual car, unthread and remove the shift knob.  For automatics, shifting it down to first will give you the most clearance to remove the console…although it is a bit tight to get it out without taking a part the automatic shifter assembly but it is fully feasible. 

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Next, pop up the two seatbelt release levers on 87-89 cars.  Unscrew the phillips screw holding them to the arms. 

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Remove and stow the levers.  Put the screws back in the arms.  It doesn’t matter if you thread them from the left or the right, both work.  I was on the passenger side, so I threaded them in from the right.  The important part is not to lose these screws.

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Now, you can pop up the trim around the levers.  There are two plugs to disconnect and the trim/mirror switch assembly can be removed and stowed.   For 86 and earlier cars, it is mostly the same process but without the seatbelt levers.   You pry up the mirror switch first, unplug and remove it and then pop out either the tray on 85-86 cars or the window switches with trim and unplug/stow on 83-84 cars. 

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Pop out the center console box by opening up the lid and using the nylon pry tool to pop it free.  Pull out and stow accordingly.

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Look down the inside of the rear console towards the back, you will see two phillips screws securing the console to a bracket on the trans tunnel.  Remove these.

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Go to the front of the rear console and remove the two phillips screws shown.

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There is one last plug to disconnect and it is the one to the light in the rear ashtray.

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Now, what I did was simply rotate the rear console assembly back and leave it there out of the way.  For I was only pulling my dash to fix a heater core issue.  But if you were to remove the carpet, you want to pull the rear center console completely.  There are two ways to do this.  You can pop the trim pieces out of the side of the console to enable you to pull the seatbelts through the console assembly and then finally remove the console.  That works but I don’t like messing with that brittle plastic.  So I simply remove the four 14mm head bolts holding the seatbelt assembly to the bracket on the tunnel.  Then I lift both the rear console and seatbelts out as one unit and stow.  There is one additional electrical connector to unplug if you do this.   Sorry, these two options are not shown in the photos, for I simply rotated it back out of the way and left it there.

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Once the rear console is removed, it will expose a single phillips head screw for the front console. 

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On the passenger-side, there are two larger phillips head screws to remove..as shown.  Sometimes these do not like to break free and start to strip out.  Many recommend using JIS screwdrivers.  I personally never bought those but I have used a small needle-nose vise grips to grab the outside of the screw and break it free.  I show this in a photo later on in the process for a stubborn screw that I ran across.

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There is one phillips screw on the drivers side. Stow away these screws so that they don’t get lost or reinsert them back in their locations once the console is removed.

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Now the console can be pulled outwards and off the shifter assembly.  On a manual car, it comes out with ease.  Automatics are a little harder.  You usually have to put the shifter down to first and carefully pull back the console, slide your hands behind it to unplug the radio, and then carefully rotate the console so that it can be pulled off the shifter without removing the automatic shifter assembly.  

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Unplug your radio and antenna cable.  Shown is an aftermarket DIN radio but it is the same for the stock radio, you will just have a couple more plugs to undo.

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OK, the console is out.  Lets just stay focused on the center of the car and remove the HVAC controls.

Use your nylon pry tool to pop out the trim from either side as shown.

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Remove the trim and stow

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Remove the two center phillips screws.  This will allow you to pull the faceplate out and disconnect it from the HVAC control unit behind.  As seen, my faceplate has some damaged mounting ears from someone digging around there before me. 

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Unplug the faceplate from the HVAC controls.  There are two plugs. 

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Stow the faceplate away.  Thread those center screws back in so that it keeps the little metal clips that hold the trim in place while we remove the HVAC controller itself.

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Now remove the other four phillips head screws in the corners.

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Unfortunately, there is one more hidden screw holding the HVAC controller in place.  I will say that some of the cars I owned didn’t have it installed.  Now this may be because someone before me removed it and didn’t reinstall or that maybe some cars came from the factory without this back screw…not sure really.  I’ve been driving these cars since 1992 but, naturally, never owned a new one. 

To get to the hidden screw, we need to pop out the glovebox.   Note that the glovebox itself doesn’t have to come out to remove the dash.   It can remain in place but we need to pop it out and let it hang down to access components behind it.

Squeeze the glove box from the left and right to dislodge the bumpers on the side and let the box rotate straight down. 

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Here it is hanging down.   That grey wire isn’t stock, it is a light that I leave in my glovebox for the ECU codes, please ignore it for this process.  

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Now look up the opening to the left and you will see the back side of the HVAC controller.  There is a flange and a screw connecting it to the dash support frame.  In my case, it wasn’t installed, but you want to confirm this. 

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Now we can pull out the HVAC controller.  There are two connections to unplug on the back of it.  Note the locations.  There is actually a third slot on the back of the HVAC controller that is empty…but one of the connectors will fit in it!   Just take note on how it should be when it comes for reassembly.

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Unplug and stow the HVAC controller away.

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OK, being that we are on the passenger side and have the glovebox down, reach in on the left side of the glovebox opening, you will see the light controller with a blue plug on it.  Remove the plug.  This has to be free to remove the dash. 

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Now you can pop the glovebox back in position and close it.

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Before we leave this side of the car, there will be two Philips head screws holding the dash to the center dash supports.  Remove these and stow the screws away.  I had an issue with breaking them free and had to use a pair of small needle-nose vise grips to get them to crack (this was mentioned earlier in the process)

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OK, lets hop to the drivers side of the car.  

Remove the fuse panel cover and stow it away.  Note that 83-84 cars will not have this under column knee panel, which makes it much easier.  But the following steps are applicable to 85 on up cars.

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Next pry the cover on the right side of the knee panel. Stow it away

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Pry out the trim panel around the A/INT WIP CANCEL switch.  Pop it out and unplug it.  Stow it.

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For the hood release cable, there are two long phillips screws on the underside.  It helps to hold the hood release lever open to access them.  Remove these and then remove the lever assembly as shown.

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On the bottom of the knee panel, there are three phillips screws.  Remove them and stow.

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Where the wiper cancel switch was, there is a screw deep down inside to remove.  Unthread it with a screwdriver and use an extendable magnet to remove it. 

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Repeat for the screw on the right side of the console that was under the cover.

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The knee panel can now be removed and stowed away.

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Once the knee panel is out, you can now access the two phillips head screws on the drivers side of the console, similar to what we removed on the passenger side earlier.  

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Next, go to the fuse box and remove the four phillips screws in the corners.  The fuse box assembly can then be pushed back away from the dash.  Note; that red switch and extra wire is for some aftermarket gauges I have in this car, please ignore. 

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Lets move to the steering console cover.   Unthread the tilt wheel knob.  Yes, mine is broken, it should look like a T that says tilt steering on it.   If anyone wants to donate one of these to me, feel free haha. 

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There are five long phillips screws securing the two halves of the steering console cover together.   Follow along in the photos.  These are easy to remove but a pain to reinstall, but we won’t worry about that now.  

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Once these five screws are removed, the bottom cover can come off.  Be careful removing it around the ignition switch, there is a grommet on there that sometimes catches and this console cover is very flimsy and cracks easily!

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We have to get the turn-signal controller out of there to get the top console cover out.  Plus, it is best to remove the turnsignal assembly anyways to prevent damaging it as we pull the dash.  

There are two phillips head screws that need removed, as shown.

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Now you can pull the turn-signal switch towards you and off the column.  This will let the upper console cover slide out.  Note that my screws are still in the turn-signal switch assembly during this operation.  You can grab them with a magnet but I just let them fall to the floor and then capture them upon removal

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As I mentioned earlier, I recommend removing the turn-signal switch in its entirety to prevent damaging it when the dash is removed.  I haven’t always done this but with how brittle the switch arms are getting over the years, I don’t want to damage them further. 

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There are three electrical connectors to disconnect to remove the switch

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Carefully remove the turn-signal switch harness from its supports on the column and get it out of the car and stow

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Next up is the instrument cluster.   There are two screws on the bottom of the cluster under the switches and two from the inside. 

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With these four screws out, you can carefully pull the cluster hood away from the cluster.  You will NOT be able to remove it at this point because the harnesses are blocked by the cluster itself.  You want to manipulate it such that you can remove the two phillips head screws in the front securing the cluster and the rear 8mm head nuts in the back.

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Now you can pull the cluster itself out a bit and wiggle it to access the electrical connections going to the switches on the side of the cluster hood.  Unplug these connections.  Note; on early model cars, there are two plugs on the right side instead of that one large plug. 

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Now the cluster hood can be finally removed and stowed

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Now pull the cluster out a bit more so you can get behind it and unplug it.  There will be two connectors to unplug in addition to the speedometer cable.

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For the speed cable.  Depress the blue tab and pull it away from the cluster

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Unplug the two connections and remove the cluster..stow it away

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Ok, look down in the opening and you will see a large black connection.  Unplug this.  This is the joint between the main interior harness and the dash harness. 

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Couple minor things left before we unbolt the dash.  Pull the clock by prying with the nylon tool on the sides. 

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Unplug it

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Reach back in the opening and find this white plug that goes to the temperature sensor in the dash.  Unplug it

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Remove the defroster covers by prying with the nylon tool on the outside edge as shown.

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And remove the covers on the side of the dash accessible with the doors open.

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OK, we are finally ready to remove the bolts securing the dash.  Lets start at the center console area.  There are two bolts with a 10mm head that need removed.

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Going to the passenger side under those covers we recently removed.  Take out both bolts..again 10mm head

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There is a bolt behind the defroster vent that we recently removed.   Take it out as well.  Note that this bolt is black to disguise it in the vent…note that for reassembly.

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Repeat for the driver’s side

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There is one last bolt in the cluster/center column area.  Again 10mm.  

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You should have 9 10mm head bolts in total, 2 of them painted black.  Stow these away and don’t misplace them.  

OK, the dash can come out.   Well….I actually forgot a step…and it’s a step I think I forget about every time I pull a dash.  Not the biggest deal but I’ll explain in a little further down.  Anyways, pull the dash.   If you need a hand, grab a helper but I pulled this one by myself.   It should come out with ease.  I only had that aftermarket gauge pod on the A-pillar that gave me a little grief. 

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There it is on the garage floor.  Can you see the step I forgot? 

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Yep…the foot vents!   It’s not a big deal because they rotate out of the way when the dash comes out, as shown but we should have removed them prior to pulling the dash to prevent any of that old HVAC plastic from cracking.   It’s just a single phillips screw holding each in.  We will take them off in the next section, if you haven’t already. 

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Preparation for Dash Installation:

So, the dash is out!  I’m sure you had a reason to get this far but a couple things to consider prior to reinstalling the dash:

1.       Heater Core and Blower Motor rebuild

2.       Steering Column rebuild with Ignition Switch modification

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Before we put the dash in, double check all of your electric connections to make sure everything is plugged in.   The following should still be open.  Position them accordingly for preparation on putting the dash back in.

There should be two plugs in the center for the HVAC controller

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On the right side of the center console area, there should be a blue connector for the light controller

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In the cluster area on the right side of the steering column there will be a large black plug for the dash harness and a large white plug for the right side switches on the cluster hood (or two plugs for an early model car)

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In the cluster area on the left side of the steering column there will be three plugs, a large blue one and two small white ones for the cluster and light switches on the cluster hood.  Also, the speedo cable will be in the vicinity.

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Under the column will be three plugs, a large blue one and two smaller white ones for the turn-signal switch assembly.  Ignore the red wire…that was put in by me for the ignition switch modification mentioned earlier. 

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Near the fuse block that is hanging will be a white plug for the wiper cancel switch

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The hood release cable should be in position

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And the most important thing is that these two plugs are up in the center.  The black one is for the clock and the white one is for the temperature sensor in the dash.  I use that black clip to hold them in place.  The clock wire likes to fall down.   Make sure you check this, for you will be pissed if you put that dash back in only to find that clock harness hanging down by your feet!!!! 

Also, while we are here, note these two rods near the center.   These go into two openings in the dash to index it.   This is a nice feature because it allows us to put the dash up into position without having to worry about bolting it in right away!

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Going back to the dash, here are the mating receptacles for those rods shown in the last photo

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If you didn’t do it earlier, as I mentioned, remove those foot HVAC ducts from the dash, as shown.

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OK, lets run through the connectors on the dash to keep an eye out for.

Here is the temperature sensor up near the clock area.

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Defroster vents that pulled free when the dash came out.  Just take note how they look, for we will have to connect them when the dash goes in. 

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The large black dash to main interior harness connection.

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Dash Installation:

Make sure you look over the section above before you install the dash…just to confirm everything is plugged in and that you know what you will have to plug in as the dash goes back on.   A big one is to make sure that clock wire connector is up in the middle!!!

OK, wrestle the dash back in and get it on those two rods in the center.   Get help if needed, but it isn’t too hard.

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There we go..it’s in position.  Don’t bolt it in yet, but check all 9 bolt holes to make sure it is in its position.   I don’t like to bolt it in until I know I have all the electrical connectors and defroster vents plugged back in.

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The first thing I do is reach in and get a hold of that clock connector and temperature sensor connector.  Plug in the temperature sensor.  You can leave the clock connector hang out of the opening, it is not going anywhere now.

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Now look in through the cluster area and plug in the large black harness connection.

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Make sure that large white connector for the cluster hood right switches is in position.  It will be two smaller white connectors on early model cars

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On the left side, make sure the three connectors and speedo cable are in position

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Push the hood release cable through the hole as shown (on later model cars, it looks like this.  On early models, it is slightly different but the same principle applies)

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Make sure the three connectors for the turn-signal switch assembly are still in place down below.

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Feed the white connector for the wiper cancel switch through the hole as shown

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Check that the HVAC controller connections are accessible in the center.  

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Put the fuse block back in position and reinstall the four long Philips head screws

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Moving over to the right side of the dash.  Pop open the glovebox and let it rotate all the way down (see steps in dash removal).   Now locate the blue plug on the left side of the glovebox and plug the light controller back in

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Right next to the light controller is the passenger side defroster vent.  Connect it.

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While we are doing defroster vents, hop back to the drivers side and connect it.  This one is much harder to access…especially to get a camera up in there to show it!   But make sure it is connected like you did on the passenger side

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OK…note that we did all of this before we started bolting in the dash.  That is on purpose!   I like to make sure all of the electrical and defroster HVAC is connected and that the remaining are in the right position before it gets bolted in. 

So lets bolt in the dash.  Start wherever you like to install the 9 bolts.   I started with the ones in the defroster vents.  These are the bolts that are painted black.  10mm head.  Don’t tighten them, just get them started.  Once you have all 9 started, then go back and tighten them.

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The side bolts, on both sides:

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The one in the instrument cluster area.

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And the last two in the center column area

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Once all 9 are started, go back and tighten them.  Hand tight is fine, it’s not a head gasket. 

Ok, I generally continue on in the reverse order of removal, although there may be some slight differences.  Plug in the instrument cluster. 

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Plug in the speedo cable.  Just push it in until it clicks

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Wiggle the cluster into somewhat of a position but don’t push it all the way in.  Get the two connectors for the instrument hood in place.   I like to pull them up past the cluster at first to aide in connection..but later push them back under the cluster.

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With the cluster still pulled out a bit, connect the cluster hood

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Left connector

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and right.  Note there will be two on this side for an early model car.

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Once the hood connected, push the connectors down under the cluster and work the cluster onto into position and on its studs.

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Install the 8mm head nuts on the studs of the cluster

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And next the phillips head screws for the cluster

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Now you can work on the cluster hood…carefully, it likes to crack!   Screw in the four screws, they should all have black heads

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The cluster is on…check it over good before we move on.

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Moving on…staying on the driver side.  Lets put on the two Philips head screws securing the dash to the center dash supports. 

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Next is the turn-signal assembly.  Plug the three connections back in

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Now, in conjunction with one another ..put on the upper column cover and the turn-signal switch assembly.

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Reinstall the two long phillips screws for the turn-signal switch assembly

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Now take a little time to route the turn-signal switch assembly harnesses under the column.  Secure them with the rubber tabs on the column/dash

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Now it comes to my least favorite part of this entire job..putting on that lower console cover.   It is a bear to get these five screws started.  You have to pay attention to the harnesses under it, position, etc.  This part usually takes me a bit of time and results in frustration.   Especially laying on your back on the floorboard.   But every once and awhile it just goes on without a hitch…I don’t get it.   But I don’t really know how to describe any type of technique.  Just take your time and get it screwed in.  

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Once all five are started and everything looks good, snug up the screws and be happy that part is over. 

OK, being that we are already on our back on the drivers side, lets put that foot HVAC back in

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Slide it on the plenum and put it in position

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Put the single screw back in

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Next, slide the knee panel in position (not applicable for early model cars)

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Pull the wiper cancel wire through the hole and then start by threading this screw in…not tight yet.   Sometimes the screw falls off the screwdriver here.  If you happen to have a magnetic screwdriver, it makes things easier.  I just used a normal one but do admit that I dropped it a few times. 

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Next go right to the other access hole on the other side

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And the three Philips screws on the bottom

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Go back and tighten them all now that they are all started

Connect the hood release lever as shown

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Put in position and install the two long Philips screws.  This somethings is a pain but nowhere near as bad as that console cover

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Plug in the wiper cancel switch and pop back in position

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Pop on the cover on the other side

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and pop back on the fuse box cover

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The drivers side is back together

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Moving over to the passenger side.  Lets start with the floor HVAC vent

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Same as the other side, push it on the plenum, get it in position, and secure with the single screw

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Jumping to the HVAC controller

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Plug it in…use the two ports that are next to each other.  There is a third port that is not used but one of the plugs fits in it!  Make sure it is the two that are directly next to one another

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Install the four screws

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Plug in the HVAC faceplate.  Unthread the two center crews in the HVAC controller mount

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And bolt in the faceplate

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And pop back on the trim.  If it doesn’t latch in properly, you may have to loosen the bolts for those metal clips and adjust their position a little bit.   That is why I said to put back in those center bolts back when we first removed the faceplate..such that it holds the clips in position

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Last step is to install that hidden screw.  Note that it wasn’t in this car upon removal but I added it.   To access it, pop out the glovebox and let it hang down. 

If you look really close, you will see the wire for the buzzer under the screw here.   I inadvertently tightened this screw on that wire.   In the end, when I plugged back in the battery, my buzzer was buzzing away.  That through me for a loop for a little bit until I realized what I did.   Anyways, that was a sidebar, just make sure you aren’t contacting any wires along the way when installing things like this.

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Being that we are in the center of the car, might as well pop back in the clock

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And the defroster vents and dash side covers. 

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Ok..on to the center console.   I realized now that I didn’t install the screws securing the dash to the dash bracket on the passenger side yet.  No big deal, we will just do it now

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Grab the front console and plug in your radio and antenna.  You can do this right away on a manual car.  For an automatic, you have to get the console over the shifter and somewhat in position before you plug in the radio and antenna. 

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Get the console in position

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Install the two screws on the passenger side and one on the drivers side

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And last the single screw in the front.  You may have to loosen these screws a little and adjust the position of the console so it is nice an even.  There is some slop in the bolt holes.

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Rotate the rear console down and put in position.  If you removed it completely as well as the seatbelt mechanism, then plug in the seatbelt switch, install the four bolts, and put the console in position. 

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Install the two Philips head screws in the front

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And the two in the rear

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Plug in the rear ashtray lamp connector

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Pop back in the console cubby

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Plug in the two connectors for the mirror switch trim assembly.   If you have an 83-84, plug in the window switches and position in place.  For an 85-86, pop in the tray. 

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Pop up the seatbelt release lever arms and set the trim in position

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Install the seatbelt release levers.  Doesn’t matter which side you thread the screws in from.  I did it from the passenger side because I was in that seat. 

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Pop back in your side carpet trim and install the two screws on each side. 

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Next is the kick panel below the glove box.   Plug in the interior sensor.  I didn’t mention this blue connector in the preparation portion earlier because it usually just lays there on the floor and doesn’t get bound up anywhere.

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Put the panel in position and get the lower clips to slide in their slots.  Then screw in with the two Philips screws

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Spin back on the shifter knob if it is a manual

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Next, reinstall your seatbelts using the factor torx tool.   Take a few seconds to thing about the position of the belts so you don’t inadvertently flip it around.   Once you are good with the position, insert the bolt and tighten it with the torx tool and install the rubber cap

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Take a minute now and look everything over.  Look for any leftover screws or anything.  If you followed this closely, you should have one thing left over besides the steering wheel assembly…the tilt steering knob.    Spin it on and tighten, as required.  

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At this point, I like to connect the battery and check the function of everything.   Test your seatbelts and make sure they lay right when the door is closed.    You could do this prior as well, it is your call but I at least do it prior to installing the steering wheel.  

Last is the steering wheel.  If you never touched the steering since you lined it all up during removal, simply toss on the wheel centered.   If you did mess with it, it may take you some trial and error to get it back on right.   Install the lockwasher and 17mm head nut.  To check the steering, leave the nut lose and take it for a drive.  If you are comfortable with the position, tighten it down. 

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And pop on the center cover.  If it is an 83-84, screw it on from the back with four screws

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