240sx (S13) Dash Replacement Write-Up

[gniknave]

Wow, sold my 240 a few months ago and I've been holding out on this info for a while. Here goes! Bare with me, I'm doing this all from memory.

So you have those ugly cracks in your dash and you want to get rid of em. You'll have to replace the entire dash. Not hard at all. It took me 2 hours with no experience of ever replacing a dash in my life.



Q: Where Do I get a dash from?

A: Pick N' Pull would be the cheapest. I got mine for $35 on half off weekend. I got lucky and found mine already ripped out of the car and ready to go. Since taking it out is the hardest part, I'd advise you to find one on EBay, Craigslist, or from Nissan Only Wreckers in Sacramento. I have a friend named McKenzie at N.O.W. that will hook you up with a good deal on a dash. He's available on AIM at: nissan1parts

Q: What tools do I need?

A: A phillips head screwdriver (a long one), 10mm socket possibly with an extension, and possibly a flat head screwdriver for a little light prying, a set of needle nose pliers.

The best and most effective way to go about this is to look at where all the screw holes (lol) are on the new dash, this way you know exactly where to take all the screws out to remove the old dash. When you're removing the screws, make sure you separate the screws in different areas so you know where they came from. Many of them look alike but some are longer than others. It can get confusing upon reinstallation if you don't separate the. Trust me, I know.

CAUTION! Be careful when removing the vents nearest to the windshield. They are fragile pieces and might break and fall into the vent if you're not careful.

Here's a diagram showing where most of the screws are that you have to remove. Yes, you will need to remove the plastic cladding from the steering column. You'll also need to remove the plastic surrounding the shifter and stereo. Oh, you need to remove the glove box too. You're going to have some difficulty disconnecting the switches behind the gauge area but be patient, they'll come apart.

Once you have all the screws out (which I'm sure there will be at least one you missed) then start rocking the dash side to side to loosen it up a bit. You'll find it easier to take it out right side first. Angle it and pull it out the passenger side door.

You should then look like this:

Notice the red circle. This is one of the hoses that has to be reconnected upon putting the new dash in. This can be a little tricky because there's no clamp or anything, but it's easy.

Notice I didn't remove or even unplug the guages.

Now you need to swap the vents and the little screw adapters into the new dash from the old one. If you're lucky, your new dash will already have everything you need and no swapping will be necessary.

Now you're ready to put everything back in. Just install everything in the reverse order. DON'T FORGET TO CONNECT THE VENT HOSES!!!

Once you're all done, this should be your result:

If you have any struggles with this then just hit me on AIM: gniknave51k

[AmoebAssassin]

Vote sticky!

[twofourzeroSX]

STICKY

[drifter_for_life06]

stickyfied

[One_Love]

good job

[Graphfixz]

Man, if you were closer I would buy the old one form you and fix it! i wish my dash only had that crack!

[GhostDriver]

Wow, thats a pretty good write up from memory. Well done. I this should be a sticky.

Thanks Ev eeeezy.

[gniknave]

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