Projects Help dismantling 51 Cosmo cluster???

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to remove this thing?!?!?!
Has anyone pulled one of these out, I need help.

 

I have not. I think that if you use a small mirror and good light you may be able to spot several retaining nuts holding the large casting to the metal dash panel. The casting should then move toward the steering wheel allowing access to the instruments from behind.
I need to do the same thing and am dreading it.
What are your plans for the car?

 

Steering wheel? Instrament cluster?

 

A shop manual should tell you.

 

Seeing that car has been cut up, I'd drop the column from lower dash rail and just remove the entire dash with instrument cluster as a complete unit if possible.

 

It's a real cherry of a car, 49,000 miles and mechanically it looks and sounds it. It's a 4 door sport sedan and a tree crushed the roof so I'm going to add a subframe to the pans then beef up the rockers and make a 4 door convertible.
Do any of you know what all entails removing the entire dash? I can't figure it because if it ever needed to be serviced behind there it would be a pain to a lincoln service tech. Like the radio, it seems the only way to get it out would be after removing the cluster????

 

If it's the same as a '50-51 Merc (and it sure looks very, very similar), there's 12 fasteners for the cluster. 4 Philips screws above the instruments and 4 more on the lower edge. These are all accessed from the front. The remaining four have to be accessed under the dash; these are threaded studs/nuts, one at each end about in the middle measuring vertically, the remaining two above/and to the left of the ashtray opening. You'll want to disconnect the radio 'face' from the cluster first and let it 'float' behind the dash.

To pull the complete dash, remove the windshield garnish moldings, there's a series of screws under those that fastens the dash to the body structure. There's two angle brackets at each end of the dash with bolts. You'll also have to disconnect the steering column and emergency brake handle from the dash.

You'll still have wires/cable to contend with, you'll see those when you get it all loose. Personally, I'd remove the cluster first, then the dash as it'll be easier to deal with the wires/cables with the just the cluster tipped out.

 

I don't remember the fastener count but Crazy Steve has the right plan : I took out a dash on a '53 Lincoln about 50 yrs ago & remember the studs on the backside of the dash panel with nuts(3/8" wrench?) behind the supporting sheet metal. Suggest a bright light & a mirror, &, if it doesn't come loose easily, look for more nuts! LOL!!

 

Holy crap John Worden I got it apart tonight. But look, it's a mix of 5/16" and 7/16" fasteners. This doesn't feel right....need to talk to someone who has done a restoration or something because I just dont think this is the right way of getting to it. Maybe it is the whole dash that needs to come out???
For sure 1951 light bulbs aren't better than today's so how does someone change the instrument bulbs when they are inaccessible???
I have a bishko service/overhaul manual but it doesn't go into the dash.
Anyone know of someone whose done a restoration of a cosmopolitan????

 

Here's the monstrosity of a radio and it's one speaker. I'd like to repair it if possible.

 

Ezfeed : I believe the "whole Damn dash" does come out as a unit(at least the '53 did)

 

How did you get yours out?

 

I removed all the nuts from the backside of the dash assembly(I continued moving nuts until it was loose), then gently pulled it out into the passenger compartment, carefully unscrewed the speedometer cable,& was able to gain access to the backside of the dash panel. I remember the heater control cables were a problem at first, (I think I removed them?). Please remember this occurred some 50yrs ago, so some of this will be fuzzy.