I need to take the instrument panel off my 86 F-150 Stepside but can't figure out how to remove the headlight and wiper *****. There's a slot under each **** on the front that looks like it's intended to allow the insertion of a screwdriver or something and I've probed around in there but can't find anything movable. In another thread someone said you can push a spring through the front to release headlight **** but on my truck there is no spring or anything else you can push/move/unscrew through that slot.

Tried just pulling the ***** off the stems but did not want to apply too much force in case that's not right and I might break them. Sigh.

I even tried to get to them from behind the dash but there's a lot of stuff in the way, can't even see them. I can feel around in there with my hands but couldn't feel anything that felt like a tab to release or ????

I need to hear from somebody who has this model truck and knows for sure how to remove them. Frustrating to be hung up over something that no doubt will turn out to be simple!

CyberCrone

 

The headlight switch you have to reach under the dash and on the bottom of the switch there is a push-pin type tab (which is a pain if you have big hands) that you have to press and pull the **** and shaft out as an assembly(your lights will turn on if you have the battery hooked up). The wiper **** has a small metal piece inside the **** that you have to press inward and it should come right off. The problem I had when I removed mine the first time I was trying to hard because it was so easy once I looked up there with my flashlight and saw the tab.

 

Both ***** should come off the same way. Yes you can remove the headlight switch shaft, but I just remove the ****. If you get a pick that looks like a question mark you can use that to press the tab pretty easy and they just about pop off.

 

I will stick this in here, as it sort of applies and may help someone in the future.

I had to remove my headlight switch one time too many; so, instead of having to remove that big plastic cover, in order to access the nut that holds the switch in, I cut away the circle of plastic, behind the headlight-switch-****, such that I can now simply slide a deep-well 9/16 socket through that hole and unscrew the switch, without having to remove the plastic cover.

Behind the switch-****, my surgery is hardly visible.

 

Well, this post wont help alot but like wiltms said big hands. I just yanked the suckers off and they fit back just fine.