is there anything obvious to check because i have yet to figure this problem out. My dash lights will come on for about 1/2 second then pop the fuse.

 

Electrical shorts are usually caused by a small section of wire insulation that has been scraped bare and is in contact with a ground on the car. You will have to check all the wiring under the dash to find the culprit location. If you can isolate setions of the wire by disconnecting connectors, measure the ohms reading from end to ground. If you get a 0 ohm reading that is the section where the short is. Also make sure you remove the instrument cluster and inspect it closely, and check the connectors that the instrument cluster plug into.