tobacjones

I'm looking for some hints on removing the original dash pad on my 1973 Duster. I was given a replacement with the car and now it's time to install it. I have been able to remove the center three nuts but I cannot determine how to access the two outer screws or the nut above the instrument cluster. Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks

johnthegoalie

the right way is to remove the windshield, but you can cheat and do it without...
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...highlight=dash

tobacjones

I'm trying to remove the dash pad only. I have all but two screws and one nut removed. That link was pretty awesome but fortunately I don't need to remove the entire assembly. Thanks.

tobacjones

I've removed the old dash pad. I ended up cutting open the original pad with a speed knife then cutting the top off of the remaining studs with a Dremel tool and a small cutting wheel. This worked very well. I installed the replacement dash pad utilizing the three studs that I could access and the two screws on the ends. It's very solid.

mopardrt

did you take out the gauge cluster and stuff?

tobacjones

I removed all of the mounting screws, disconnected the speedometer cable and removed all of the wiring connections except the headlights. I removed the bolts holding up the steering column and lowered it down far enough to pull out the gauge cluster. Now I'm replacing all of the light bulbs and cleaning everything real good prior to reassembly.

johnthegoalie

are you going stock or modifying the car? while everything is out, now is the time to upgrade. paint everything, led bulb upgrades, new gauge faces, etc...
i've also seen where people are opening up and modifying a cheepy chugger sun voltmeter to fit in place of the factory ammeter.

tobacjones

The car is mostly original. It's a 225 slant six/automatic. The car has 74,000 original miles on it and the engine runs smooth and very quiet. We redid the seats in a two tone light/dark green and we installed new black carpet. It's the body work and paint that sets this car apart from most. We spent months getting the body straight and painting it J5 green with black striping.