The pad is fairly easy to remove, but sometimes the material is dried out and brittle, so it may crack even more when you stress it.
- Pull off the radio knobs, remove the screws that hold the black gauge panel cover on , and then gently remove the panel. These are all phillips screws.
- Underneath gauge panel you will see screws holding the gauge cluster in, and also some screws that only hold the lower edge of the dash pad. Just remove the screws that hold the dash pad (3 or 4?). I believe these are all 1/4" hex head screws.
- Then on the passenger side, look up under the edge of the dash pad above the top edge of the glove box and you will see another 3-4 screws that hold the lower edge of the pad.
- Once you get all the screws out you will be able to pull the lower edge of the dash pad out about a 1/2" to check that it is no longer screwed on.
- Then work the left and right side of the pad out from the dash until you can get hold of them, and pull the pad straight back toward you to disengage the metal clips that hold it to the upper part of the dash. It is usually a tight fit, and the metal clips may have also rusted to the dash.
- Once it slides clear of the metal clips you can just work it up over the steering wheel.
Try to avoid flexing the dash pad too much. There is metal reinforcing under the pad, but any flexing will stress the vinyl cover and may cause it to crack.
Bruce
