I removed my dash last night, and realized there were a few things you need to do that hasn't really been mentioned in previous posts. Besides removing all the necessary bolts (two 10mm on each end, one 10mm in the top-center near the windshield, two 12mm on the driver's side of the center hump, two 12mm on the passenger side of the center hump, and two 12mm on the steering column), you need to:

1. Remove the e-brake. I couldn't get the dash out with it in. Also remove your shift ****.
2. Remove the A pillar trims. It won't come out easily with them in place. I tried it and the vinyl got scratched up by the metal ends of the dash, so I just removed them. Just pull out the rubber seal, then pull on the A pillar trim until it pops out. There are two clips holding them in.
3. Don't forget to unbolt the hood latch cable.
4. There is a big blue plug you have to unplug on the passenger side. You also have to undo the airbag plug on the passenger side. You can undo these after pulling the dash out a bit, to make them easier to get to.
5. On the driver's side, there are several plugs you have to undo. There are two big blue ones, and a couple smaller ones, including the airbag plug. Pull the dash out a bit before trying to unplug these, it's much easier.

Now I need to remove the evaporator and heater core so I can install my new black carpet.

 

If you're pulling the carpet, how about installing some sound deadening material, like QuietCoat or www.secondskinaudio.com ? Might be fun and make your car sound Luxury!

 

Since a lot of people seem to have trouble removing the heater core and evaporator, here are a few tips for removing them. Note that if you want to remove the heater core to remove your carpet, you have to remove the evaporator first.

1. Remove the nuts holding the evaporator and heater core to the firewall. There are 2-3 that are a little hidden underneath them, and 3-4 nuts on top.
2. Evacuate the refrigerant from the AC system (take it somewhere to do this)
3. Unbolt the AC lines from the firewall
4. Remove the heater lines where they connect to the firewall (warning: drain your coolant first, and be careful because coolant will still spill out)
5. Remove any wire connectors and pull the AC Evaporator
6. Pull out the heater core. Be careful because it will have some coolant in it. Plug the pipes with some paper towel so it doesn't drip in your car.

That's about it. It's pretty easy, except for the hassle of draining the coolant and evacuating the AC system.

 

Thanks for the tips. I need to get off my *** and put my new dash in.

 

That spectrum sludge looks great but how much does it weigh??

Great write-up btw

 

True. I might add a little bit of heat insulation material around the tranny tunnel since it can get a little warm with the LS1, but that's it. I think the FD is actually pretty quiet and well insulated. My daily driver is actually a lot noisier than my FD.