I agree with Joe. When I replaced my windshield , I removed the wood.
Don't forget to read:
http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=15683.0\\Here are the tools I used;
1. philips screwdrivers (regular and a very shallow one)
2. 9mm wrench
3. thin piece of metal (10cm x 10 cm) - can be done without this step
4. 10mm wrench
Here are the steps I used
1. remove glove box (6 screws)
2. remove passenger and drivers pillar molding (2 screws each)
3. remove wood speaker cover (2 screws)
4. remove speaker (2 screws)
5. remove both blue nuts holding right side wood in place (9mm wrench)
6. remove dash part that is underneath and to the left of the steering wheel (3 screws)
7. remove the small metal bracket (2 screws)
8. remove the drivers seat (4 bolts - 10mm) - not necessary but makes life easier
9. reach up and undo the wingnut holding the tachometer in. slide it out
10. undo the three blue nuts holding the left side wood in place (the two leftmost can be reached through the tachometer)
11. gently lift up the wood as far as it can go. It will probably bind against the instrument cluster
12. undo the top left side of the dash (3 screws). The screws are really hard to get at, as they will be under the left side wood, but you can reach them with a very shallow phillips screwdriver. If you do not have a very shallow screwdriver, use a philips nut driver and a pair of vicegrips. The third one is under the leather / MBtex on the left vertical side of the left side top dash pad.
13. remove the two screws holding the left side of the instrument cluster dash pad. This should enable you to move it just enough to remove the left side wood.
14. remove the left side wood.
15. to install reverse the procedures above.
I hope this helps anybody else, who like me, has to do this job.
Cheers,
Remove wood Trim:
Right-side long piece. Remove the glove box.
Shine some light in the empty space to find the blue plastic hex nuts under the trim. Remove as many as you can find and reach. There are 3? Hex nuts for each of the long wood pieces. You might need to remove the padding on the A-pillar.
To remove the left-side piece:
This one is a bit harder to do. You must remove the tachometer and speedometer to access the nuts. Start by removing the insulation panel below the steering wheel. Now use a small flashlight, push the driver's seat far back, and wedge your head against the brake pedal, facing up. Very uncomfortable! Some suggest removing the steering wheel. I did not do that.
Look for the round thumbscrew that holds the tachometer to the dash. Remember where and how everything is put together. Remove the thumbscrew. Remove the cable from the tach. Remove the electrical wire. Set the tach aside.
DO NOT REMOVE THE CENTER GAUGES! A thin metal tube is attached to the back of the center cluster. This tube carries a column of oil from the engine to the oil pressure gauge. If the tube is loosened or removed, oil will spill to the floor of the car. Leave the tube attached.
Work your way around the gauges to remove the speedometer which also has a thumbscrew, cable, and electrical wire.
Now you should have access to the blue plastic nuts holding the left trim piece. Remove them. Cover the top of the dash to prevent scratches then carefully remove the wood.
Re-installation of the Dash Trim
Reinstall is the reverse. Fitting the left side wood trim back against the windshield without scratching the dash top can require a bit of careful pushing and coaxing. Be sure to have the dash top covered as the wood trim might cut the dash top while being put back.
After the trim is back in, put back the blue holders and the gauge connections, then admire the nice looking trim.
I suggest cutting off an eighth of an inch or so from the bolts glued to the wood pieces, once the wood has been removed. They are longer than necessary, and this will help when you replace the wood. A Dremel works well for this.
I recently ordered new nuts from the Classic Center, and they sent metal nuts instead of the blue plastic ones. The metal ones were 8 bucks apiece.
Don't try to use regular lock nuts, because they are too tight. One can twist the bolt out of the wood when trying to tighten one of these (damhikt).
Lots of guys and gals have torn their dash on the driver's side when removing or replacing the wood there because of the length of the bolts. If your windshield is out, removing and replacing the wood is probably simple. Otherwise, I suggest you put a piece of metal, line a flexible putty knife, on the dash so you can slide the bolts on that without fear of contacting the dash material.
Joe
