How to: Dash Removal

Wes Lewis

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I’m in the middle of doing an idi to powerstroke swap, and have to change the wiring harness behind the dash and figured I’d do a write up of pulling the dash. It really was not that hard to do once I figured out what I was doing. I did remove all of the accessories out of the dash, so if you are just swapping dashes you won’t have to do as much. It took me about 4 hours, but I was doing other things and moving slow as well, one could probably do it in 2 hours without hustling that much.
I also added how to remove just about everything on the dash, for anyone who wants/needs to change something.

Step 1. Clean out the front seat, glove box, ashtray and pocket under the steering wheel. The door panels are a nice place to put stuff. Slide front seats back for room. Sweep off the floor if its real dirty, you’ll be laying on it a lot! Should look something like this when you start. Notice the red solo cup to put bolts and screws in as you take them out, if you a die hard ford fan you could use a blue one lol
56be5434.jpg


Step 2. Unhook the battery grounds! While the hoods up, there are 3 plugs that go into the firewall under the brake booster, the first is the PCM it does not need unplugged. The second and third do, there’s a bolt through them (11mm) they do not unsnap. Once they are undone there are 2 snaps (top and bottom) that hold the remaining part of the plug to the firewall. Squeeze them together and push the plug through the firewall. (no pics, sry)

Step 3. Remove the antenna. Pup the chrome cover off with a flat screwdriver, the 4 phillips screws hole it in place. Once you got it off unplug the wire, it just pulls out of the bottom.
c6b5543c.jpg


Step 4. Remove the kick panels (1 phillip screw along floor board, wire brush and a few taps on the screwdriver with a hammer make it easier if it’s filled with dirt then a gray plastic tab, a pair of wire cutters work pretty well to pull it out, then just pull it straight to the rear of the cab and 2 more plastic tabs come with it, you have to pull fairly hard) and pillar trim (4 phillip screws) from inside the cab. You could probably skip the pillars if you want, I took them off just so they wouldn’t get scratched. Behind the passenger kick panel there’s a mat, pull it out too. Youll see this behind it.
cbe08813.jpg


Step 5. Unplug the 3 plugs, and ground wire (8mm) and take the door sensor out (14mm) and unplug it. the plugs are attached to a metal bracket that’s attached to the cab, pry it off(plastic tabs).

Step 6. There’s an 8mm bolt on the side of the dash, just loosen it for now. Then there is 2 8mm bolts on the bottom of the dash that can be removed. Inbetween these 2 bolts there is a gray plug that a brake controller plugs into, and a block of vacuum lines, unhook them both, if you don’t have a brake controlled the gray plug can be left alone. The lines just pull apart, and unhook the plock from the piece of plastic that holds it.
f70d3643.jpg


Step 7. (optional) I pulled the glove box out, just open it and give it a good tug upwards, drivers side slides out first, then you’ll see your abs module and a few other things. I did this to remove the heater cable, and loosen the antennae wire. But you could also get those once the dash is unbolted. Heres the heater selector wire (if you turn the heat selector to heat its easier to get)
07034c93.jpg

The Antennae wire is towards the top right and goes through the firewall. Give it a pull if you can to get some slack, if not you can get it later

Step 8. On top of the dash there is 4 7mm bolts, remove those. They are angled to the front, pretty simple. Remember to cuss when you hit the windshield with the rachet.
The passengers side is now done, with the exception of the 8mm bolt on the side.

Step 9. Remove the kick panel and pillar trim. The pull the 2 big plugs that you pushed through the firewall earlier the rest of the way through, unplug the brake light switch, parking brake switch and fuel pedal. Then there are 2 plugs that run underneath of the parking brake, unplug both of those and pull them out of the aluminum piece that holds them in.
55bccdee.jpg


Step 10. Take the whole parking brake assembly off and just lay it under the brake pedal where its out of the way. (three 13mm bolts) take the 13mm bolt out that holds the u joint to the steering shaft, and if your truck is an automatic you have to take the trans cable off of the steering column also, this is a pain. Flat screwdriver comes in handy. One side just prys off, the other has a tab that holds it into place.

Step 11. Grab your cup of bolts off the dash and place somewhere safe! You don’t want it to fall. There’s four 15mm bolts that hold the aluminum piece on where the parking brake was. Once these are out the dash will drop. Remove the 8mm from the passenger side, and give the steering wheel a tug to pull the universal joint off of the shaft. If you didn’t do it before, pull the antennae wire out of the firewall and the heater control wire. And unplug any other plugs that you may have missed.
ac53d741.jpg


Feel free to add anything I missed. I took just about everything out of the dash first so switching harnesses would be easier. I’m going to try and do another write up on all of that soon.
 

Jakey

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Looks good, I've pulled and replaced these dashes quite a few times
Upon reinstall, the antenna connector can be a pain to get routed where it needs to go.

5 recommendations for 1992-1994 Trucks

"Defroster Performance Enhancement"
I did this to a dash without the kit, a roll of 3/8W x 5/16H adhesive backed foam rubber at Home depot for under $5 did the trick
For ref. the kit is disc. and 2 years ago when I checked VPI had only 10 @ $108 a piece
http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/9497faq/tsb/tsb/files/980318.pdf

Another recommendation is for 1992-2/27/1995 trucks, upgrade to pull-pull 2 cable heater blend door control. TSB 96-13-7
http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/9497faq/tsb/tsb/files/961307.pdf

Also for 1992-1994 trucks consider swapping to a 1995-1996 function selector
http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/9497faq/tsb/tsb/files/940613.pdf

And yet another on 1992-1994 trucks
This one is crazy, By 1997 ModelYear OBS have a million miles of quieting tape and foam in the dash.
http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/9497faq/tsb/tsb/94-17-08.php3

Install the steel dash brace bracket on the Passenger side...
Bronco Graveyard has them, I don't have the TSB number handy
 
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xekon

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Excellent write up, hope these pictures still exist someplace. I am unable to see them, they expired.
 

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