Removing “hard top” to lower windshield for dash pad removal

[VA Mountain FJ40]

Much like the tale of the blind men and the elephant, I had a vague idea of what parts were supposed to be behind the dash pad, but I didn’t know what was what… and now I do.

My misconceptions centered around how the six tabs on the welded dash pad support and the six slots on the nine screw dash pad L bracket worked together.

What I was calling slots on the dash pad retainer bracket are actually punch outs for small retainer bracket tabs.

I thought that the tabs on the welded dash support locked into the slots on the screwed-in dash pad retainer bracket. I was backwards.

The punched out tabs on the dash pad retainer bracket lock onto the welded dash base, using the cut out slot created when the dash base tabs were punched out.

You can reach into the dash base cut out slots with a flat blade screwdriver, and push back the dash base tabs, but the dash pad bracket will not release until you bend down the dash pad bracket tabs (securing the pad bracket to the 6 openings in the dash base) until they are flat with the rest of the bracket.

After bending all six dash pad bracket tabs level with the dash pad bracket surface, the dash pad bracket is released and you can lift the dash pad and bracket straight up and out of the dash base tab openings.

After removing the two knobs and five screws on the upper dash pad, I was able to lift up the pad and see the six openings in the welded dash base.

There are six of these punched out openings. The punched out portion forms the 6 retainer tabs that hold the dash pad and dash pad retainer clip in position when they are together.

It is tension between the bent-inwards punch out “slot” of the dashboard pad retainer bracket and the top edge of the dash base clip opening that holds the dashboard pad and its retainer bracket in place.
Not the welded dash base clips! Those clips just keep the dashboard pad retainer bracket in a flush plane against the welded dash base. It’s the six small retaining bracket tabs that poke through the welded dash base holes that lock it down.

I planned on destroying my raggedy existing dash pad in order to learn the dark secrets about how the dash pad and the dash fastened together.
After cutting away the lower portion, I was able to expose all six of the retaining tab holes in the welded dashboard base. If you are not cutting up your old dash pad you can access these holes one at a time by lifting up the bottom and reaching underneath with a screwdriver or pliers.

Note: the top of the dash pad (3) and the dash pad bracket (13) are still fastened to the dashboard base (99) at the top. To remove the dash pad bracket, and remaining piece of the dash pad on top, I need to bend down the dash pad bracket’s punched-out tabs to light flush with the rest of the bracket surface.

The bracket tab in the above photo must be bent flush with the rest of the bracket tab surface. After all six bracket tabs are flush, then the dash pad and bracket can be lifted out.

 

[VA Mountain FJ40]

This is the top of my old destroyed dash pad, with the dash pad retainer bracket still attached and locked to the welded dashboard base beneath it.

This is after I bent the tab for the dash pad retainer bracket flush with the rest of the bracket. It is no longer bent to interfere with the top edge of the clip opening in the welded dashboard base.

This is a close-up of what the bent-in tab looks like after it is flush. Picture taken after dash pad removed from truck.

 

[VA Mountain FJ40]

In summary,
So far, I have been able to remove the existing old dash pad for replacement without lowering the windshield or raising the roof.

I did destroy my old dash pad by tearing it apart to understand how it was put together. I believe I could remove that dash pad now without destroying it since I learned how it was secured. You will need to loosen the dash and lift it up from the bottom to get to the dash pad bracket tabs, one at a time, to remove the dash pad without destroying it.

First remove the two knobs (15) and five screws fastening the dash pad (3) to the weldeddashboard base (99).

Locate the six rectangular tab holes in the dashboard base-one hole at a time-by lifting up the bottom of the unscrewed dash pad.

For each of the six slots in the welded dashboard base (99), bend the small protruding dash pad retainer bracket (13) tab (at the top) downward until it is flush with the rest of the retainer bracket.

After all six retainer bracket tabs are bent flush, the old dash pad (3) and retainer bracket (13) can be lifted off. Start closest to the windshield and lift vertically upward on the back of the dash pad to release it from the clips on the welded dash base (99).

After the retainer bracket (13) has been released, the remaining clamshell of the dash pad can be removed from the welded dashboard base (99) by sliding the entire dash pad towards the truck seats.

At this point, you can separate the dash pad (3) from its retainer bracket (13) by unscrewing the nine JIS screws (24). If you intend to reuse the dash pad retainer bracket (13), remember to bend the six bracket tabs slightly back out before reinstallation.

Tomorrow I will try to install the new dash pad and dash pad retainer bracket. Based on what I learned today, I think it can be done… Stay tuned.