Dash Swap
These instructions were provided by Eric Fisher (Turbofish38) on the Board. With his permission, I am repeating them here as the subject comes up periodically, and, this is the best list of instructions I have seen.
Remove the trim plate
Remove 4 7mm headed trim screws that hold the cluster to the dash.
Push the speedo cable in towards the interior by pushing it through the
firewall grommet. You should be able to push the cable in about 1-2 inches.
Reach behind the speedo, there is a spring clip that holds the cable to the
speedo. Push the clip in and the cable should release.
Disconnect the VSS. Two ways to do this.
1-Use a 7/32" socket and remove the screw that holds the Hall effect switch
to the speedo.
2-Find the buffer and remove the two connectors from the main wiring harness
and pull the buffer up through the front leaving it attached to the speedo.
Disconnect the shift indicator cable from the steering column if column
shift.
The above steps are for an analog speedo.
If digital do the same steps as above and also disconnect the main power
connector from the speedo.
That's it. The speedo should come out without any problems
Tip #1
It maybe easier to remove the speedo trim plate if you lower the steering
column first. That will give you more room to work with, especially on
column shift cars. Just remember to disconnect the shift indicator cable
first on those models.
I've done this a few times and the only problem I ever have is tracking down
the loose connections on some of the wires. Figure on about 2-3 hours to
remove it on your first time.