Replacing center dash vents

Happy New Year, all! I want to replace the center dash vents in my 94 Metro (auto with A/C, blue with 98K on it, 40K on JDM engine). Got a near perfect replacement on eBay for a great price. I've looked at the factory service manual, as well as Haynes and Chiltons, to find the best way to remove and replace the vent assembly. Looks to me as if the instrument panel has to be removed to do it. ARGH!

Has anyone else done this, and if so, do you know a better way to do it?

Thanks in an advance for any help.

Jeff in Missouri

As far as I can remember (this is why I haven't done it yet myself) you have to remove the ENTIRE dash assembly, to get to the dash vents. They are screwed into the back of the dash itself, so the only way to change them, is to remove the entire dash.

Unless I'm mistaken, someone else can correct me if I am. But my center vents, one of them is broken, and the reason why I haven't changed mine is for that reason alone, having to remove the entire dash.

Anyway, if you do pursue the task, good luck, and be very patient!

Yes if you want to replace the vents as whole unit, you have to remove the dash. It is much easier to replace only the pieces that are broken. Look at the new part that you have to see how you can take it apart. It took me an hour or so to replace my center vents which were 90% borken, now its as good as new, and I dind't have to remove the dash

Thanks to both of you, DanMan7 and RossT. That's pretty much how I had summed up the situation. Too cold now (and no garage) to pull the entire dash. The original vents aren't TOO bad (one busted vane each side), and I'm afraid if I try to remove the good vanes from the replacement part, I'll just end up breaking off the tabs where they pivot (seem pretty brittle).

So, for now the original vents stay.