2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Dash/heater core replacement

[sstefanini]

I had to replace my heater core and have been driving around for the past 4 months with it bypassed. Having never torn this deeply into a dash and after reading the hundreds of posts approaching the subject I finally worked up to doing the job along with replacing what was left of the factory dash.



Surprisingly enough the heater core portion of the job wasn't all that bad. I did use the aluminum replacement core with the swivel tubes. I spent about 5 hours on this part of the job and was thinking it was all going to wrap up soon until... ...



I began assembling the new MOPAR dash top. You have to have rubber arms that are cut resistant to get through this. I don't know how it's possible to get the defrost duct mounting holes to line up with the dash, but it almost seemed like the duct had shrunk. I'm not talking a little off either, more like up to 1/4" misalignment on a couple of them. This along with 1 screw above the glove box and I had 4 screws left over. This was the most frustrating repair job I've ever tackled. Fortunately 10 miles of high speed dirt road driving proved that they're not all totally necessary.



Is it possible to reinstall all the screws when a dash is replaced?

 

[Axtell3]

I doubt it. that's why you have an ashtray.

 

[Bob4x4]

I had to replace my heater core and have been driving around for the past 4 months with it bypassed. Having never torn this deeply into a dash and after reading the hundreds of posts approaching the subject I finally worked up to doing the job along with replacing what was left of the factory dash.



Surprisingly enough the heater core portion of the job wasn't all that bad. I did use the aluminum replacement core with the swivel tubes. I spent about 5 hours on this part of the job and was thinking it was all going to wrap up soon until... ...



I began assembling the new MOPAR dash top. You have to have rubber arms that are cut resistant to get through this. I don't know how it's possible to get the defrost duct mounting holes to line up with the dash, but it almost seemed like the duct had shrunk. I'm not talking a little off either, more like up to 1/4" misalignment on a couple of them. This along with 1 screw above the glove box and I had 4 screws left over. This was the most frustrating repair job I've ever tackled. Fortunately 10 miles of high speed dirt road driving proved that they're not all totally necessary.



Is it possible to reinstall all the screws when a dash is replaced?

It is possible to reinstall all of them :-laf



I have the scars to prove it

 

[sstefanini]

Someone had said that the Geno's replacement top didn't have the mounts for the defrost duct. After 2 hours of fighting and dropping screws down inside the dash, it wasn't hard to give up on the remaining 3 holes.

The most important thing is that the dash is rattle free. Considering the # of cracks I epoxied back together on all the other plastic parts that makeup this assembly, I feel like we're miles ahead of where we were.