1984 Ram dash removal stupid question....

Can you remove the entire dash - for instance like a 71 Charger - without removing the windshield? Someone told me its impossible; that the windshield must be removed to access all the bolts/screws to remove the dash.

Please advise.

Thanks,
Ron

if you cut the inside of the gasket in a nice big V shape at each screw across the top you could then use a 5/16" hex bit on 1/4" flex drive.

2 nuts/studs at colum & 2 bolts on each lower corner in the kick panel.

the dash rolls down from colum and out leaving the a/c heater box in place.

oh yea, for got the middle support brace that has a couple nuts that you can forget to remove.

best way to remove the windshield it to use a 10" butcher knife to lay flat on glass and cut the rubber gasket in 1/2 then remove glass.

I suggest new gasket and 50 bucks to a glass man for install.

clean & inspect the roof drip rail and pinch weld for gasket. repair as needed first.

here is my 85 cab after removing it.

painting it and in the 91 cab shell.

what I did not mention is good luck with duct work. couple screws hang you up and going back together can be a pain.

I removed all the crap and blocked off the heater box hole.

also fixed my drip rail rust and hand made a new drip rail piece as I patched the roof line up.

removing the windshield can turn into a can of whoop azz real fast if you got rust.

seems all the cab rust starts at the roof drip rail/glass/gasket pinch weld and runs down the inside to the bottom of kick panels. also rolls down the inside back of cab keeping the seatbelt wet. cargo light never seal either.

6 gallons of bed liner inside and out.

so..YES! you CAN "JUST" do it from the inside cutting the gasket.

talk about a snowball. all this started, because mike decided to change his wiper blades one day. know when to say when.

Wow - thanks for all the replies guys! Helps me a lot.

Sorry for the delayed reply; I haven't logged on in a few days.

if you look close in pic #1 you can see the top screws across the dash and how they are spaced.

with a razor knife or some type of blade, cut a V notch over the center of each screw then you can wrench the hex screws out.

well worth having the glass man remove/install the glass IMHO.

in pic #2 you can see the 1 dash support I left in place and only removed the dash shell/frame with top center duct work left in place. IIRC there are 1 or 2 screws on the plastic duct work that is a PITA getting at them. if you are keeping it-remove the screws first don't rip it out.

with the seat out the colum will hang down enough to let the dash frame drop off the 2 colum studs. I might have did it with the seat in place?

Ron, remove the windshield....you'll thank yourself later

Rickster