Do I really need to remove the dash to pull the heater box?

[thehackmechanic]

The '69 +2 I recently bought has mouse contamination in the heater box. I see that the dash panel needs to be removed in order to pull the box. I have to admit that I'm afraid of disturbing all that wiring. Is it possible to leave it all attached while the dash is gently moved back and out of the way of the box?

--Rob

[JonB]

From experience, I'd say yes, you can move the dash away from the heater box, but I think you will struggle to remove the box. Can't hurt to try, can it? You will need to remove the steering wheel and drop the column for clearance. If you end up removing the dash, label every wire. I used a code to identify which wire goes where on every switch. So, for example, "PWIN TL" (Passenger window switch, top left spade as viewed from the front of the switch) and so on (TR, CL, CR, BL, BR as top right, centre left, centre right, bottom left, bottom right repectively). Use a labelling machine for this. Reassembly then becomes easy. Test all dash functions before reattaching as it is also easy to make the odd mistake here and there.

[steve lyle]

The biggest issue with taking the dash out is disconnecting and reconnecting all the bullet connectors. They weren't designed for that - the 'taking apart' step, especially.

What a couple of us have done is replace the bullet connectors with "Mate-n-lock" connectors. They snap apart and together easily. Label them so you know what connects to what. Makes removing and reinstalling the dash MUCH easier.

I've had to lubricate my heater fan. That requires the dash to be out. I had to replace my wiper wheel boxes - that's another time the dash had to be out. It's just not that unusual to have to take the dash out.

They're available from electrical supply shops. You'll need various connectors - 1, 2, and 4 wire ones, maybe a few 6's as well. Terminals - male and female, a crimper tool and a tool to remove terminals from connectors.

[The Veg]

You'll need a bit of clearance as the fan protrudes into the fresh air intake space, so you may as well get the dashboard out of the way. And if you're doing that, you may as well prepare a list of 'while yer in there' stuff to do as well.

When I had mine out I used a pair of 15-pin Molex connectors to replace all the bullets, installed in opposite gender-orientations so that they can't be cross-connected.

[h20hamelan]

Comment about connectors. Not all are made equally.
I like the Volvo & Mercedes offerings still being produced with some quality.

[thehackmechanic]

Just to answer my own question for posterity, yes you CAN detach the dash with most of the wiring intact, tip it forward and right, and slide the heater box past it. It wasn't really all that difficult. I used rubber caps on the heater core pipes so they wouldn't dump coolant inside the car. I did remove the fiberglass deflector shroud on the bottom first, as I was trying to improve my ability to look inside the box with an inspection camera before committing to remove it. Getting it back in with the shroud attached may be challenging.