If you’ve got an old dash kit in your car’s interior that you need to pull off so that you can install a new one, these instructions will help you get through it most effectively.  Removing a dash trim kit will take bit of work although it is something that you should be able to do yourself. If you don’t count yourself particularly handy or you don’t have a lot of time, take it in to your local custom interior guy or body shop and they should be able to take care of this.

A few things you need to get started:

1. Heat gun or hair dryer
2. Goof-Off (or similar product)
3. Clean rags

First, you need to be certain that its an aftermarket wood dash kit. Here’s are some pictures of an aftermarket 1986 Corvette Dash Kit installed if you’re not sure what an aftermarket kit looks like.  If it is not an aftermarket kit, these instructions may not work because you will be trying to remove a OEM dash which may be an entirely different process or not even possible without replacing the dash. Aftermarket dash kits are usually backed with 3M Red double-sided foam tape and can be removed with some persistence. You should be able to see under some pieces to verify that the foam tape is there. You need to be 100% certain this is an aftermarket kit first, not an OEM/factory-installed dash panel.

Second, pick a day where you can work uninterrupted on this for a good period of time. You do not want to rush the process. Also, it’s probably best to have another brand new dash kit ready to install after the old one is removed because there may be some marks left by the old kit. I’m assuming you’re reading this article because you’ve already bought a kit from me and you need to know how to remove a dash kit that was previously installed. It’s possible get the old kit off without any evidence it was there, but more than likely there will be some minor marks left behind or discoloration between the exposed/faded areas versus the areas that have been covered by the old dash kit.

So the first step is to use your heat gun or hair dryer to heat up the piece you are working on. Make it easy on yourself and start with the smallest and most accessible piece so you can build some feeling for how this will go. The heat will soften the adhesive on the tape, so you can start pulling up a corner of the dash kit piece slowly. Make sure you really heat the piece up good or it will be too hard to work with and more likely to damage the dash underneath. Don’t use any metallic tools or anything else sharp to try to wedge underneath the piece. Just do your best with your fingers and a little elbow grease.

Once you get the first piece removed, there will probably be some goo left behind. Just get your heat gun/hairdryer out again and warm it up as best as possible and try to get as much off as possible by hand first. If you can’t get it all cleanly, get out the Goof-off but pay attention to where you wipe that stuff. If any gets on some new surfaces of your dash, it may end up causing some discoloration. Be careful and use only enough to do the job.

The larger pieces of course will be the toughest since there is so much adhesive involved. You may want to have a friend help you – one person can heat the area of the kit piece that is being pulled off and the other person can do the pulling. Just take it nice and slow and let the heat do the work.

Again, if you’re not particularly handy or are uncomfortable about possibly damaging your existing dash, your money would be well spent having this done by a professional who should also be able to install your new kit also.  I hope this guide on how to remove a dash trim kit was helpful and I look forward to your comments.

– Good luck!