I followed the steps in the haynes manual and in some threads on this site, i.e. removing the seven screws under the dash and 4 above the defroster vents (lost my favorite 7mm before I was done) but when I went to remove the dash pad, it wouldn’t budge. I could wiggle it a bit but it still felt held on all across it. I probably missed something obvious but I can’t figure out what it is. Any ideas?

The car is a base ‘87 Firebird

 

Probably missed a screw or two somewhere...

 

That would make sense, I’m just not sure where. I’ll look around some more today.

 

Slowly pull up from each end furthest from the dash and see if you can figure out which screw you missed. If the side nearest the seats pulls up straight but wont come out, then you missed one at the windshield.

 

Just tried this and the side nearest to the seats pulled up straight but the pad still wouldn’t come up. Checked the defroster vents again and the 4 screws there are definitely removed.

Looking even closer, it seems like some parts of the dash pad (front by the windshield, the part facing the interior) are glued on with some kind of adhesive. What’s the best course of action to take it off if it’s the glue still holding it on? I’ve used a decent amount of force to try to pull the pad off.

 

Used small amount of 3m adhesive remover (said to be safe on vinyl and glass) and a little more force than I wanted to and the dash pad came off. Rescued the 7mm while I was at it. Thanks for taking time to read and respond!

On a related note, it looks like the dash pad is one of those older classic industries/OER reproductions that needed holes drilled in it. I can find pics if anyone is interested. I have no records from the previous owners on the dash pad (but the car has an aftermarket tachometer so one of them had to go in there at some point).