spec.this.miata

I manhandled the dash out of the car using some key tips from Joe “The Dashmaster” Coliccio. The most helpful one was when he pointed out the nut under the plastic cover in the center of the dash, just under the windshield. I don’t think I would have ever found that one. It seemed that I’d have to remove the turn signal stalk from the steering column to get the dash out, but the steering column flexes enough so that it’s not necessary. Removing the A-pillar plastic trim, along with the rearview mirror and top-of-the-windshield trim is necessary to remove the dash, and is something that will not go back into the car.To get the heater controls out, it’s easiest to disconnect the control cables from the various devices under the dash, rather than from the control unit itself. Once the cables are disconnected, it will slide out fairly easily.

I also removed the door panels and cleaned up the trunk of the car. There is still some sound-deadening material in the trunk. I’ll need to find a heat gun and spend some time with a putty knife getting it out. It’s really stuck on there…

With the dash out, I could remove the A/C condenser, which used to sit there in the middle of the photo. It will soon be replaced with an accordion hose to connect the blower to the heater core.

This entry was posted Tuesday, December 26th, 2006 at 8:50 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.