Dash removal 55 Ford Wagon

somatdad

somatdad

Junior Member
I have a 55 Ford Country Sedan that I am rewiring and I wanted to make it as easy as possible gain access to the wiring so I figured I would remove the dash to gain access.

Well the dash does not seem to want to come off. I have removed all the obvious nuts and bolts.
So Far I have:

Removed Steering column bolts to dash.
E Brake bolts
L braket bolts on either side of dash
Nuts along the inside top of dash to frame

So far the dash is not even loose.

I have not removed the trim piece on either side of the dash which may also be holding it in. I have removed the screws that hold it in place, but the trim piece is also stuck in place and I do not want to force that. (see Pic)

So any ideas or help from someone who may have done this in the past would be welcome.

Thanks
Jim
 

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Remove the side pieces (3) screws each. stick a screwdriver between the piece and the door windlace to pry off. It will be stubborn since there is a rubber pad that is stuck between the backside of the piece and the dashboard. Heat over the years has caused the pad to act like glue.
Remove those trim pieces around the dash near the windshield. remove all the lag screws that hold the dash down to the cowl. If I remember right, a 3/8" nudriver is the best tool. It should not be necessary to remove the nuts that hold the defroster boots to the cowl, however, as those are not bolted thru the dash, only to the cowl itself (again if I remember correctly).
Again, you will need to use some force to pop the dash up off the cowl since there is sealer all around the area between cowl and dash mounting bosses. You gotta remember that heat during the summer heats up that sealer and glues the dash to the cowl.
You got the bottom L brackets and the e-brake handle off. Good.
Personally, I would remove the steering wheel before attempting to remove the dash. It may be very difficult to worm the dash out by yourself around the wheel without scratching it up.
You need to disconnect your mechanical cables from your Magic-Aire vents and I would go ahead and carefully pull the cables inside thru the grommetted holes before removing the dash, even if you are going to try to prop up the dash on top of the steering column and wire it in place like that, there isnt enough slack in the cables to pull it out very far with the cables in place. Be careful not to bend those cable too much. they can easily be distorted beyond repair and will not operate properly if bent too much.
Use the palm of your hand from underneath the dash and push upward on the underside of the dash to pop it up off of that sealer on the cowl. No dents, no scratches and you should be good to go.
 
If you are taking your Ford apart you need the 1949-59 Ford Parts Manual which has exploded views of the entire car section by section so you will know where everything goes,you can get this from this member:http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/member.php?u=1349 only $12 shipped to your door,probably the best $12 you will ever spend on your Ford.By also having all the part numbers you can look them up and use Google search to find things you won't find from the regular vendors.
 
Thanks for the tip Jeff, I have an aggressive :) 10 year timeline to get this ride ready for retirement, so I will be stripping it down to the frame eventually. I contacted Retro Jim and I'll get one ordered.

Jim
 
Make sure that the wires going into the engine compartment are all undone and pulled through to the inside.

Removing or dropping down the steering column will give you the most room to pull it out.
 
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