Thoughts on the Inside of my Dash

In traffic today I noticed the massive amount of pollen that had accumulated inside my Jeep.  See, it has a leak in the cowl that we are going to fix eventually...whenever we eventually get around to painting it.  The rocket scientists at Chrysler made it so you cannot access the cowl without cutting into it, so...it has to wait until the right time.  Anyway, my Jeep leaks when it rains either hard or long or both.  As it has done here recently, so I had a few inches of rain in there.  I just wipe it up and let it dry out by keeping he windows down while its parked all day.  That, coupled with the mutant amounts of pollen here this spring led to what can only be described as a disgusting and revolting amount of pollen on the inside of my car.  Driving around started to literally make me sick.

I had a container of the new scrubby Clorox or Lysol or whatever brand wipes in my car.  When I was sitting at a light I'd grab one and start wiping everything within reach.  All the cracks and crevices were just coming out nasty.  Most of those parts had been taken off when we rebuilt it and I cleaned them a little but nothing spectacular.  When I got back to the shop I just really wanted to clean the inside of my AC vents.  There was like 1/4" of dust and pollen in there, and having them blowing has got to be the main cluprit.  I knew my dash was easy to take apart, so I'd just take those two side panels off, clean in there and be done.  

I see one screw.  I go get the screwdriver.  I remove the one screw.  I pull.  Nothing.  

I get the plastic thingy that Kirby uses to pull panels off.  I pull the panel back.  Another screw.  Great.  I can't reach that screw without taking off the panel next to it.  OK, where's the screw for that one.  There it is.  Take that screw out, and the other three holding that panel on.  Take it off.  Go back to the original hidden screw.  Take it out.  Pull.  Nothing.  Oh crap.  Another hidden screw.  That thing is put together like a jigsaw puzzle.  On to the next screw.  Why isn't it turning.  Oh, hell.  Its a bolt.  Where's the ratchet.  That ratchet doesn't fit.  Go grab another one.  That one doesn't fit.  Grab the whole tray full of wratchets.  Next screw.  The screwdrive is too long, where's the short one.  Next screw.  That one is too short, where's the really long one?  Next thing I knew my entire dash was taken apart.  Every last peice.  

Seriously, if you ever get the urge to do this yourself...don't.  Five hours later I finally got it all put back together but I had a few screws left over so I'll have to revisit the project in the daylight.  But, since I had the entire damned thing open I got in there and scrubbed ALL that pollen out.  I took the panels inside and washed the backs of them.  I'm actually ashamed at how dirty it was back there, even though alot of that grime was 10 years in the making.  I've only had it a year, so only 1/11th of it was my fault.  I urge you to take it to a professional for cleaning if you really feel the need to clean it.  I am not one of those professionals.