78 Spider Steering wheel

[Spiderbob]

Which is easier, dropping the steering column or removing the steering wheel to work on gauges? Also any tips on either would be appreciated. I took the gauges out before but it's been decades since I did.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Which is easier, dropping the steering column or removing the steering wheel to work on gauges?

Spiderbob, there is another option. It is possible to remove the gauge panel with removing the steering wheel or lowering it, but you have to be really careful. Disconnect the battery. Remove the two halves of the steering column cover (this gives you a little more clearance). Put all stalk levers in the "down" position. Remove the 4 thumbscrews on the dash. Pull the dash far enough out so that you can get your hands behind there to disconnect the speedometer cable and the connectors to the gauges. Angle the gauge panel around until you can work it past the wheel. It's tricky, so take your time with this step.

If that doesn't appeal to you, removing the steering wheel is the next best option. If the wheel has never come off before, it can be pretty tough to remove, in which case your next option is to lower the steering column.

The reason that I don't go for immediately lowering the steering column is that two of the four bolts that hold it to the lower dash are special ones are round with no slots. You can sometimes loosen them with vise-grips, but sometimes you have to cut slots in the head for a screwdriver. Kind of a pain.

-Bryan