Interiors

Intro

Tips on how to maintain & the safe removal of interior trims …

Index

  • Care products
  • MY - Brumby Dash Removal
  • Other stuff

Care products

There are many products out there that you can use to keep the interior trims healthy / supple … ( more to add here )

MY - Brumby Dash Removal

Introduction:

Step One: in the Subaru manual is supposedly … Remove windscreen … If you are like me and not gonna remove windscreen you need to prepare yourself in order to remove the pop pin plugs that hold the demister grilles in place. These pop pins are only plastic and even when best lubricated and in your hands are difficult to even budge, let alone in a tight spot, so I sheared the tops off with a large flat blade screwdriver. Under these are three 10mm head M6 bolts, LHS, CENTRE and RHS. You want to know that you can remove or at least loosen these before going ahead…or remove windscreen. Useful tools in this task were a variety of 10mm spanners, open end and ring, a quarter inch drive 10mm socket, a sliding t-bar or breaker bar in quarter inch drive, and especially useful a bit from the cordless drill bits department…it adapts quarter inch square drive to quarter inch hex drive and is only about 19mm long. I sat this in my 10mm socket and drove it with a quarter inch open end spanner. Those bent screwdrivers don't allow enough leverage to undo the 10mm bolt heads with Philips head. Tools for the rest of the job were limited to 12mm socket and 150mm long extension in three eighth drive, a few varying size and length Philips screwdrivers, small one required for choke knob grub screw. I also suggest you use a plastic tackle box style divided box (20) for all the bits as you go each step. Start in top right and work your way through., a fine point center punch, lots of coloured cheapo zip ties to bundle strays together until you get it all back together. I used same colours at each end of wires I had to cut and join later. Also get about 2m of self adhesive foam strip to replace between dash pad and heater box. I had to do two layers on top of each other to seal it properly. Digital camera handy
more
This job is best done with seats in place. My method only has one vent cable to disconnect as the center control panel stays put. When all is disconnected and you have removed the three 10mm under demister grille bolts you only have three 12mm nuts to remove, the weight is then supported on the side brackets. You lift the dash pad up and off the brackets that a vertical stud goes through……Took me 2 hours 20mins to get it out including all my extras installed… about 3.5 hours to install

Brain Check

Make written notes and do your own diagrams to aid in reassembly in regards to wiring colours and their trace colours.They are not described below. You are also likely to encounter unauthorized work as you go and it is a good opportunity to clean up

It is written for a right hand drive MY or Brumby
Start here:
Arrange for your entertainment to come from other than your car as the first step is:
1.0 disconnect battery
2.0 remove panel under steering column
3.0 remove gear-stick console, center console (optional), and radio console and the radio hanger plate ( optional )
4.0 remove glove-box lid and box itself
5.0 pry temperature and fan knobs off and selector lever knobs and 2x Philips screws at bottom corner of control panel
6.0 undo 2x 12mm bolts holding steering column to under dash and drop wheel to seat. Now easy to access choke grub screw and remove the plastic ferrule
7.0 electrical connector plugs to undo around steering column are LHS flat white, RHS blue plug(wipers), brown plug (blinkers),white plug (lights & pink at rear of ignition switch
8.0 remove dash gauge pod surround
9.0 under bonnet, remove spare wheel to get at the 12mm bolt on steering shaft closest to firewall. Take note as to position, centre punch marks might help
10.0 Remove 12mm bolt and place with keys to ensure it goes back, so you no drive without refitting it ! Separate splined components while here
11.0 Withdraw steering column and wheel from inside ensuring nothing is tangled up with it !!
12.0 Remove dash gauge pod by undoing its four screws , reach up and under and just pull speedo cable out of its rear, and juggle pod out enough to disconnect the three different round wire connector and a single blue wire
13.0 remove RHS dash pocket bin above fuse panel
14.0 now look along the lower edge of entire length of dash, undo all the bendy metal wiring retainers, about eight in all. On RHS there is a plastic loop, black or white depending on model, it is fixed with a screw you will see if look from underneath.
15.0 Inside RHS of glove box hole, LHS of control panel support, I had a blue plastic conn plug going up the upright. No need to disconnect this one.
16.0 The fuse panel is mounted on its own mounting plate using a larger Philips screw top & bottom.. Undo these. Also removed a white plastic protector of some sort at top.
17.0 Air vents. There are door window vents and front vents on both sides. Leave the actual vents in place as you disconnect the ducting of the door window vents about 200mm from each end. The front vents have a screw underneath that holds the vent and the duct together , remove the one screw each side.
18.0 Back to the control panel where we have removed the knobs and screws earlier. There is a real skinny 14mm nut on each the fan and heat knob spindles. Remove these and panel comes free. Here you can either twist out the two light globes or disconnect further along at a white connector. Also disconnect the two wires for cig lighter socket. If you have air cond, follow the wire back to their connector(s). Withdraw grey plastic outer panel from the dash. Now for my 'good trick'. Undo the four screws holding the metal mounting plate to dash and juggle the control panel at an up down angle to get plate behind the dash plate where it was in front to begin with. This remains here while you remove dash pad.
There is only one vent control cable to disconnect which is the top vertical lever on its own, fresh air in ? Leave the others and vacuum lines intact. Operate this as you look in LHS of dash pod hole on heater box, note its outer cable position in relation to its clip. Use a finger to hold clip open, electricians flat blade screwdriver handy to flick cable end off its knob.
19.0 Now if you have not already removed the three 10mm bolts under demister grille, do so now, and then the 12mm nut on LHS dash support bracket, sit in RHS seat, remove RHS 12mm nut, then the central 12mm. If not already disconnect side window vent duct, do so now RHS as you lift RHS up and swing away from its mount giving room to disconnect LHS side window vent duct. They are a squeeze and pull affair. Now lift LHS up and off its stud support bracket and you are away !!
20.0 As always, installation is the reverse with note to tape or hold heater/fan control panel up and against heater box so that it does not drop low on refit or you will almost need to start again
A final mod before replacing the demister grilles: Work out where the 10mm bolts are in relation
to the pop pin plug holes (about level with edge of hole and out 25 or 20mm for a centre). The gap
recess between two grille is about 8mm . I used a 1" hole saw and filled with 1" rubber bung plugs
for access in future without needing to bust up pop pin plugs or remove demister grilles :)

Credits

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