for those thinking about the CRX dash swap..

[Ben L]

i thought it might be helpful to some if i reposted these instructions for those thinking about this. sorry for the length.

Before i start..i feel the need to issue a disclaimer. This is how i did my dash swap. I will not be held responsible for anything you do to your car, nor anything you have done to your car. These directions are for fun..go by them at your own risk! Remember, i'm kinda dumb, so be prepared if my directions suck. Please enjoy reading this..


Ok, here's a lame attempt at a how-to for swapping out a dashboard..my experience was swapping a dash from a 90 CRX Dx into an 89 Civic Si. I did this about a month ago, so this is from memory..if i miss anything i apologize. Keep in mind that it's usually better to keep the 88- 89 stuff separate from the 90-91 stuff, but my junkyard donor car was a 90. This is especially true with the gauge cluster. It is possible to put a 90 gauge cluster into an 89, but repinning is necessary and a pain in the arse. Ok..that said..
Tools I probably needed:
-A helms, chiltons, or haynes manual
-Screwdrivers of all types and sizes
-Needlenose pliers
-a knife
-a socket set
other helpful things
-some sticky glue
-a drill
-a pop rivot gun(for vin #)

ok..first thing i did was to locate the donor car, and the place i looked was the local junkyard. I needed about two and a half hours to pull everything out of the donor. Save every single little piece you pull off the car..you're probably going to be glad you did. Bring a big pouch to hold all the little screws and bolts. Start by prying the cover off the middle of the dash near the windshield, as well as the two little covers on the gauge cluster hood. Use your socket and extension to get that center bolt out. Open the doors and look at the vent things on the side of the dash. You'll see those annoying little plastic screw things. It's a pain, but get those out as gently as possible. You might need to use your fingers at some point. Now you can take those covers off which exposes a bolt on each side underneath. Go ahead and take those out next. Next go after the console.

Start with the big section that fits over the shifter. Should be about 6 screws. You'll have to open the glove box and take off the fuse box cover under the steering wheel. Take that off, now you car pry off the covers to get at the bolts/screws holding the ebrake section down. Take those off and unbolt..take that section off. You can also get the actual ebrake cover if it's in better shape than yours. Ok..right behind the shifter is a metal bracket that holds two screws from the first piece we took off. Take those two bolts out and snatch that puppy..you'll need it! Go ahead and grab the cigarette lighter/ashtray/pocket section. You'll have to unplug some connectors. Pull the radio. Loosen the heater/ac controls so they're just hanging there (unless you intend to use them..then you're on your own [img]smile.gif[/img] ) ok, go over toward the driver door and pull off the little plastic knob on the fresh air switch. Pry off the little cover. Very tiny screwdrivers help. It helps to take off the coin keeper thing directly under it. Unscrew the fresh air switch so it is no longer attatched to our dash.

Ok, time to pull the steering wheel. Pry out the "H" on the center. Get your socket and extension in there and unscrew the bolt holding the wheel on. The wheel should now pull right off. Ok, look on the back of the gauge cluster hood and take those two screws out, and then take the two screws out from the bottom of the front of the hood. Disconnect all the switches on the hood..dimmer, rearwindow defroster, hazards, etc. That should now come off. Look at the steering column cover..should be three or four screws on the bottom of it. Take em out..and take off the metal ring sealing the steering column cover..pull the two halves apart sideways and they should come apart. Next i think there's two screws holding the turn signal/wiper controls on..get those out and unplug all the connectors to take the signal/wiper controls off. Next go ahead and unplug the two large plugs on the back of the gauge cluster, as well as the speedo cable. Take off the gauge cluster. Also make sure you get the gauge cluster brackets, but since they're attatched to the dash i wouldn't worry about it at this time. Looking pretty bare now, eh? Disconnect every switch you can..including sunroof and anything else i'm missing. Go to the other side of the dash and look under the glove box. Unscrew the four bolts holding the bar attached to the glove box..should be three phillips and a 10 or 12mm bolt. The glove box should be able to come out now. Now you can get the main bolt on the passenger side near where the glove box was..the bottom main bolt where the cigarette lighter section was, and the driver side main bolt near the hood release. At this point you should be able to move the dashboard kinda freely.

Ok, unwrap the wiring around the center console so that it's not holding the dash down. Pull up and out on the dash..you should be able to move it quite a bit. If there's still bolts holding the dash down, find them and take em out. Ok, now's the fun part. Get on the drivers side and lay on the floor looking up behind the dash. You'll see a big plastic thing..white or gray..attached by two phillips screws holding a big mess of wires to the dash. You really need a stubby phillips screwdriver, about four hands, and to be double jointed to do this easily. After getting those, follow the wires towards the center console and unscrew the little plastic hooks holding the wires on. You'll see the wires for the clock..you're best bet is to just cut the wires, just remember to leave PLENTY of wire so you can rewire to your civic. I DO NOT recommend trying to take out the center vent to get the clock connector off. You WILL break the vent if you do not know what you are doing. And breaking stuff sucks. Ok, pull up on the dash again, and if there's anything holding it down, find it and disconnect it. Be careful of the heating controls if you left them attached. You now should be able to pull out the entire dash board! Look and see if there's anything you didn't pull that you think you'll need. Grab it. Don't forget the gauge cluster especially. Good job! Time to pay for all your stuff and go home and drink a beer.

Ok, when you finally get around to wanting to put the dash in, make sure it's not your only mode of transportation! Your car will be undrivable for a little while. Pull out your Civic dashboard the exact same way you pulled the CRX one in the junkyard. I think it's an excellent idea to LEAVE THE HEATING CONTROLS. Be super careful with them. Be especially observant as to what goes where and how everything is attached. Label things if possible! You should have your dash out in no time with the experience from the junkyard, but take your time and be sure you know how everything goes back together!

When you have both dashes out, it's time to put your VIN on the CRX dash. Use a small drill bit to drill out the rivots holding the VINs in on both dashs. Now put your VIN on the CRX dash with the rivot gun..you can buy one at the local hardware store if you don't have one for about 5 bucks..and get the right size rivots too. Your VIN will look sweet on the CRX dash, just make sure it's facing the right way. Have someone look over your work. Ok, on the underside of the dash near the windshield there's a big piece of insulation. This is where the sticky glue comes in..if it's attached to your civic still, then that's cool. Mine came out. So i glued the insulation from the civic dash to the crx dash. I used sticky glue. That milky brown stuff..don't ask me what it's really called. It worked though.

Ok, you install the CRX dash the same way you pulled it out. You should be pretty familiar with the process by now. First thing to do it get that plastic wiring harness holder screwed in..i had to get upside down and contort myself pretty good to do this. I also wired in the CRX clock at this time as well. The dash should fit right where the old one was. Connect the main bolts holding the dash in..two on each side and the one at the top and center of the dash. The top and center one may be tough to line up, but you can do it! It helps to have another set of hands. The bottom center console bolt will not line up..it is about 3 inches away from the hole. I'm pretty sure the other 5 bolts will hold the dash in fine. Also, look at where the console skeleton will rub against that big piece of metal. I stuck some dynomat there to keep from it rubbing and making any noise..i don't know if it would if i didn't do it or not but i did and it's fine. That said, you put the glove box back on, as well as the fresh air switch, coin box, heating controls, radio, and all the little switches..if the rear windows defroster, dimmer, and hazard switches aren't the same, just use the ones from the civic dash that you just took out..honda made the dash with enough of those little pop out compartments to have twice as many as you need. About the tilt steering..you have to drop the steering wheel all the way down. Your tilt is pretty useless now..mine moves about 3/4 of an inch. Oh well, i like the steering wheel low anyways. My 89 had the hazard switch mounted on top of the steering column, so i had to cut a hole in the steering column cover with my drill. Fun fun fun. Works fine though. If you have the same year gauge cluster, i'm pretty sure you can just plug it in and be fine. If you don't, you're going to have to rewire. I have the charts i made if anyone needs them. Everything works fine in my car. Hook up the gauge cluster, and put the steering column and steering wheel back together. Put the gauge cluster hood back on. You need to install that little center console bracket you pulled from the Rex..i had to cut my carpet back a little to make it fit, but no sweat. Put the center console back together. Did i forget anything? Have someone look it over and make sure you didn't forget anything. Well, time to see if it works. If you have any problems, don't be discouraged..work em out or get some advice. You have that other mode of transportation we talked about earlier so it's not that big a deal, right? If everything works right the first time, congratulations, you're smarter than me. Or at least had more guidance [img]smile.gif[/img] .
-Ben L.

[88DXAuto]

Damn, i read this whole thing twice, it kinda makes sense, but i dun wanna fuk anything up, maybe if i have someone do it with me it would be cool.....

[liamjames]

Hey Ben, thanks for the detailed guide! I’ve been considering a dash swap, and your instructions make it a lot clearer, especially since I've had issues with hazard boards and was curious about the hazard switch setup. The tips about labeling everything and having a backup ride are super helpful—definitely sounds like patience is key here! I’m also glad to know that cutting into the steering column cover worked out for you. Thanks again for sharing your experience—it’s going to make this whole process a lot easier for me!