So, I gotta take the dash out of my car, or at least move it back so I can get behind it. Can any body point out any bolts that are easy to miss?

Also, how do you get the A-pillar trim out of a hard top car? I cant find any screws or anything. Thanks.

 

Not sure where all the bolts are on the inside but there are some that people miss that are actually behind the motor in the engine bay

 

There are no bolts to the dash in the engine bay. The hardest one is the one holding the vents to the dash directly behind the radio area. There's a write up on here somewhere. But the a A pillars in a hard top may just clip in.

 

Didnt see the ones behind the radio, unless you mean the ones with the heads facing the front of the car?

I did a few different searches and it brought up threads that went unanswered lol. Maybe someone has the link to a write and could post it here?

Im thinkin the A pillar trim is held on with velcro tabs and clips, but it seems way more secure than that.

 

yes the one screw in the middle behind the radio holding the ac vent is a pain because the head faces the firewall and you have to lean the dash forwad to get to it. I elected to leave it out. did you try ls1.com I don't remember where I saw th write-up. If you want I could do one for you but it will take some time and won't have pics. Ive had mine out enough to remember.

 

If you get the time Im sure lots of ppl would apriciate, but I writeups are a pain so I understand if you dont want to.

My biggest problem now is the A-pillar trim. Hopefully I can get it worked off today.

 

I will do a step by step later when I get home for you. I would start at the top near the roof and see if you can work down toward the dash. My t-top aside from the 2 screws has a clip like the ones holding the door sills down.

 

Okay here we go. I forgot to ask if you are just taking the vinyl part of the dash out. Or the whole thing including the pass air bag and metal dash frame (more complex) but its easiest if you start with the vinyl part if your removing the whole thing anyway. The metal frame is pretty straight forward. So I will go step by step on the vinyl/plastic part.

....keep in mind its been a few months so if I miss a bolt my bad.

Things you will need: 13mm deep socket and extension, 7mm socket, I used a 7mm nut driver and it works well.

step 1. put the seats as far back as they go.

2. pull the easy stuff, A pillar moldings, Radio bezel, and remove the 4 7mm bolts holding the driver side panel under the steering wheel. (becareful with the hatch release button) it just unclips and theres not much wire to play with.

3. Unbolt radio and unplug the wires. Set it aside. Then unbolt the climate controls. I just pushed them into the dash opening and didn't bother disconnecting it.

4. On the passenger side pull the 2 black tabs holding the black plastic under the glove box. And set it aside.

5. Along the hinge of the glove box there are 3 7mm bolts. but be careful two of them hold the pass air back bracket. I think you need to remove the two outers and the one in the middle.

6. Remove the glove box and set it aside. While your there push the glove box light up through the metal backet it sits in. I pull the bulb out to keep it from staying on. Just let the socket hang and put the bulb in a safe place.

7. Drivers side, undo the 2 13mm sockets under the steering wheel supporting the steering column. There are 2 small bolts also. Leave them be. The ones you want are dark grey in color.

8. Pull the guage bezel it just unclips if you have a T/A. The camaro has 2 bolts going up through the top, Just pop out and unplug the light switch and fog light switch if you have a T/A. Then undo the 4 bolts around the gauges 2 up top and 2 under. Just give it a pull it plugs in like an old school nintendo game. Set it aside somewhere safe.

9. The wire harness it plugged into slides to the side. Then just work the wires out of the plastic holding then to the back of the dash.

10. Take the fuse box door off and remove the 1 bolt holding it in place. Just push it into the dash and leave it.

11. There are 2 bolts behind the panel you removed under the steering wheel and 2 on either side of the glove box cavity.

12. Now start at the driver side corner of the dash pad and slowly lift and it should pop up. Work your way to the pas side. Unclip the alarm light and photo sensor if its a camaro. T/As just have the light. Pull the dash pad out.

13. Now the fun part....Along the top where the vinyl meets the metal there are 4-5 7mm bolts. Undo them, and at this point the dash should move forward.

14. in the middle behind the radio area there is a cavity in the vent structure. In that cavity theres a 7mm bolt but its in backwards. As I said I left this out on the re-install.

At this point with a little fenagleling the dash should come free. It may help to remove the side moldings on both the driver and pass side in fact I think I did as they run up under the dash along the seat and have 5 phillips screws and the driver side has one in the foot rest area to the left of the clutch or brake pedal.

Hopefully this will get you off to a starts feel free to pm me any questions they go to my phone and you can get an answer faster if I have one lol.

Oh and the Re-install is basically the same. I start with the dash in place and get all the wires back in the right areas and work backwards along the top edge(step 13) it will hold it in plce while you go nuts bolting the rest up.

 

Awesome, thanks a lot. A Mod here should take just your post and sticky it some where. Ive looked on every F-body and LSx site I can find and havent found anything nearly that detailed.

Ive been chipin away at it slowly, and I got the dash detached, but I think theres a bundle of wires cliped in somewhere that I need to find. It pulls back and all, but it feels kinda like a bungee cord is holdin it in. I just need the rain to stop so I can go work on it some more.

 

great write up!

 

Make sure its not the wires to the guage cluster. Again I may have left a bolt or two out.

 

The A-pillar trim is easy. The part at the top, you pull out (towards the outside of the car). The inside part you kind of rotate in and wiggle it out. It's only held on by clips, no screws.

 

It might be the cluster wires. I worked the plug out but I don't think its all the way out. Somethin in the middle seems to be my trouble, I'm gunna double check the heater control and make sure that's not holdin me up.

Lol, I got that figured out like an hour before you posted. Thanks for the reply tho. I would have been a lot less nervous about breaking something if I had read this first.

For anyone else who is curious about the A-pillar trim on a HARD TOP car, there are 3 clips evenly spaced along the roof line above the door. The easiest way to unclip them is to lift the weather striping to expose the edge of the trim. Then I simply put a flat head screw driver between the roof and trim then pried the trim down. Note, that if you slip and gouge the plastic, its ok. The weather striping will cover it.