1966 Monaco - About to remove dash

[Dylan Galvin]

Thanks, that is a big help. Is there enough slack in the connector wiring and the speedo cable to disconnect them without having to go under the dash?

Yeah you can pull em out without getting under just be careful

 

[Polara_500]

Thanks, that is a big help. Is there enough slack in the connector wiring and the speedo cable to disconnect them without having to go under the dash?

It's snug but doable, slow and easy is the rule.

 

[rapidtrans]

The speedo cable is best disconnected from behind first. The gauges will pull out far enough then to unplug the electrics.

 

[Big_John]

Thanks, that is a big help. Is there enough slack in the connector wiring and the speedo cable to disconnect them without having to go under the dash?

I'm not sure on your car, but with some cars, you can unbolt the upper bolts on the side and loosen the lowers enough to rock the dash out to you and reach over the top to disconnect. It might be worth a try.

If it works out, put it together the same way.

 

[rapidtrans]

The speedo cable is best disconnected from behind first. The gauges will pull out far enough then to unplug the electrics.

edit:
I will add my car doesn’t have ac. There may be a duct blocking your access from behind/below. You should be able to get to it by pulling the right gauge pod out first. Those big round openings allow for a lot of access.

 

[azblackhemi]

Dylan, from your profile I see you are only 16 years old. You will have no problem removing the wiring harness from under the dash. I'm surprised none of our more senior members have brought up how much more difficult this job would be for an old guy!

 

[rapidtrans]

Dylan, from your profile I see you are only 16 years old. You will have no problem removing the wiring harness from under the dash. I'm surprised none of our more senior members have brought up how much more difficult this job would be for an old guy!

Yeah, I don’t fit under the dash as well as I used to either. I think I still ache from that dash work this summer. When I was eighteen I did this stuff for fun!

 

[Polara_500]

Dylan, from your profile I see you are only 16 years old. You will have no problem removing the wiring harness from under the dash. I'm surprised none of our more senior members have brought up how much more difficult this job would be for an old guy!

Deliberately omitted..................

 

[Dylan Galvin]

Dylan, from your profile I see you are only 16 years old. You will have no problem removing the wiring harness from under the dash. I'm surprised none of our more senior members have brought up how much more difficult this job would be for an old guy!

Yeah I’ve already spent like 6 hours this week pulling wiring stuff, most under dash lol dosent bother me with the front seat out

 

[LocuMob]

Yeah I’ve already spent like 6 hours this week pulling wiring stuff, most under dash lol dosent bother me with the front seat out

I'll pay for your airfare when I need help with my cars.

 

[Polara_500]

I'll pay for your airfare when I need help with my cars.

And you're still a spring chicken.

 

[66DOGE]

It's actually not that bad doing it in the car. I suggest you take the front seat out to aid in having enough room to lie down etc. Having several trouble lights to make it easier to see things will help tremendously.

Be prepared to drop the steering column a bit - use a strong bit of string to "hang" it up from the rear view mirror mount. There will be a cover on where the column bolts to the dash - remove that and you'll see the bolts that the column is held on by.

Disconnect the battery if you haven't done so already.

The 3 connectors that form the bulkhead assembly (where all the wiring enters the car) is easily dealt with if you push the spring clips on the sides of the connector under the dash and allow the whole shebang to come into the engine bay. Then you can carefully disconnect the 3 harness connectors. Don't worry, they can ONLY go back on their proper places as they're indexed.

Go slowly and label everything. Take pictures as you go.

Start on the driver side and work your way across. Remove the various bezels and panels on the front of the dash if they're accessible that way, to allow you to get to things you can disconnect from in front. Remember, if things seem like they don't want to move, don't force things. Also, the harness is held in place by various sheet metal loops that the harness tucks into, so sometimes it will restrict movement of components.

Did I mention - take pictures as you go.

Be gentle - things have been in there for 50 years or more.

Everything disconnects - nothing is "hardwired", so just be patient and diligent. If connectors seem stiff and hard to unclip, sometimes they can benefit from a gentle application of a little heat to make them more flexible - I'm talking about a hair dryer kind of heat... a minute or so will soften up a brittle connector and allow those pesky tabs to be able to be flexed up and over the nubs... don't force things, as that's when they break.

Also, this is a fantastic time to do the MAD conversion and bypass all those nasty high amperage connections that run through the bulkhead connectors.

Good luck!

What's the MAD conversion? Noob here.

 

[MoPar~Man]

Anyone know how this dash removal turned out?

And, I guess, add @Dylan Galvin to the list of members we haven't seen in a while.

 

[azblackhemi]

Anyone know how this dash removal turned out?

And, I guess, add @Dylan Galvin to the list of members we haven't seen in a while.

Yes, Nov. 2022 was his last appearance here.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

@66DOGE - the Mad Conversion is a simplewiring bypass procedure that helps deal with the really bad design of the wiring running to and from our amp gauges in our C bodies. The system as it ages is a fire waiting to happen.

Look around using the search function at the top right for the following, and read up on it:

Bulkhead Ammeter Bypass

Mad Electrical Conversion

Once you read about it, you'll want to do it. It makes your car much safer.

 

[66DOGE]

@66DOGE - the Mad Conversion is a simplewiring bypass procedure that helps deal with the really bad design of the wiring running to and from our amp gauges in our C bodies. The system as it ages is a fire waiting to happen.

Look around using the search function at the top right for the following, and read up on it:

Bulkhead Ammeter Bypass

Mad Electrical Conversion

Once you read about it, you'll want to do it. It makes your car much safer.

Thank you man I appreciate it!