speedometer replacement ?

several years ago, a tree limb fell on out Dodge Neon, breaking the windshield. at that time, the dash gauges worked fine, and continued to for at least a year. then, every once in a while, the speedometer would just go dead. no mph reading, and the odometer would not register either. over the last several years, it has become more prevalent, and is not not working more than it is. the other gauges are also intermittently failing to read as well. the scariest thing, is when it does come back, the air bag light comes on for about 5 seconds! which to me means there is a possibility that if we were in an accident, they might not work at all. i believe the dash circuit board is cracked, and this is why this is happening. if the actual dash has to come out of the car, which is what i have feared all this time, it will have to stay that way until we get rid of the car. i can not lay on my head (upside down with my head under the dash) for hours on end trying to find and remove all 40 bolts or plastic clips or darts, or what ever they use these days to hold a dash assembly in. does anyone know how to replace that board (gauges)? can it be done without removing the dash? i have a Haynes service manual for it, but we all know how bad those are. i would like to repair this, but i can not afford dealers labor rates, and my luck with home grown shops has been poor at best.

can it REALLY be that easy?!

can it REALLY be that easy?!
Yes it can and is.