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Trying to get the instrument pod out of my dashboard. Wow what a PITA. Hard to get a wrench on the nuts on the bottom. Does anyone know what size it is, it appears to be 3/8, but not sure since I can't get a wrench on it properly. Would an offset wrench help? Would it help to take the steering wheel bracket off? Any help on a more efficient method would be much appreciated

Hard to say on the nut. The stud is 8/32 and the nut used on one I have needs an 11/32 wrench. Don't know if it is an original nut though.

No easy way to remove I know of and doubt you will be able to move it very far out of the dash with the wiring connected -- even though the manual says to. The loom is probably very hard and stiff now compared to new and may even be wrapped around the steering column brace.

If it does move, take care to examine the wiring carefully. Depending on how high a temperature the car might have seen, the old insulation could be so dry and brittle it starts cracking and breaking off in chunks when disturbed.

be sure to disconnect the battery cable before you try to pull the pod - I fried some of the parts a while back.

With all that spaghetti of wires in there, all of them having old insulation on them of questionable durability, it was hard for me to get in there with an ordinary wrench. My father got one of these screwdrivers with replaceable bits, put in a connector between the screwdriver body and the wrench bit (in my case I believe it was a 9/32)and that gave me enough reach to get in there without bending the wires very much. Enough extensions on your socket wrench might help. Still, you are right, it is a PITA (and back as well!)
Ken

Thanks for the tips, if I find an easier method I'll report back. Howard is right about the stiff wires, very hard to move which is part of the problem. I've moved them around quite a bit and thankfully haven't noticed any insulation cracking off. The reason I'm trying to remove it is because the odometer doesn't work (Speedo does). Hope to get it out, clean and lube it and see if that takes care of it.

Let me chime in here and say that, having done this, you should be very careful of the studs on the bottom side of the instrument pod, they will scratch your dash just under the bezel. Perhaps tape off with half inch aluminum tape or a good masking tape just under the bezel and as close to it as you can get BEFORE pulling it out. My dash got scrathced as it was hanging in place while I removed the wires from the back of the clock, etc. I know from a similar, older thread that others have had this unpleasant experience also. Now I know why a previous owner of my car didn't bother to put the nuts back on the bottom studs during a previous removal.

Good luck!!

Rich, thanks for the heads up. I have a very nice original dash and would hate to mark it up.