i have another problem. one of the screws on my dash are stripped from previous owner i need to take it off to do some interior customization ne ideas about what to do

I'm assuming you have a striped screw.....what color are the stripes?

JK. Sorry. Get a knife edge or small flathead screwdriver under the head to help pull it out while you unscrew it. If you can manage the space, a very fine pair of tweezers or needlenose pliers will help. Then you can use the screwdriver to back it out.

You probably won't need to replace the retainer. You can usually 'renew' them by simple squeezing them down with a pair of pliers to tighten them before reinstalling the screw.

Will'* a funny guy, NOT!

If you mean the threads are stripped, then see above. If it'* a philips head thats been stripped, then it'* a little more difficult. The standard is to cut a straight slot through it. Doing this on a dashboard would be somewhere between not very damn likely and impossible without damaging the dash. Your best bet in this case would be a small pair of needle nose Vise Grips.

Either way, good luck

Where'* it located? What does it hold down?

it is right under the dash behind my steering wheel. it is a torque bit too and the head is striped out of it

Torx? What year of car and model is it? You need to put that in your signature.

I know in 93 they were philips.....if we're talking about the screws on the underside of the dash overhanging the instrument cluster. That'* a tight spot.

What you REALLY need (even if you have to rent for a day) is a 90° drill and reverse drill bit. Probably about a 1/8" bit. Put that drill in reverse with the reverse bit, and it'll walk the screw right out. If it'* not directly above the steering column, a standard drill will work if you have room to get it in.

its a 93 bonneville ssei it looked like it had been removed before if the factory are phillips then who knows why they are there

Um, nooo... The screws in the molding overhanging the cluster are T-15 Torx screws, at least from the factory. If he'* got Phillips screws in there then who knows what'* been going on in there.

Actually now that I've re-read his post: He'* saying that it'* _under_ the dash behind the steering wheel. Those are usually 8mm hex-head screws or similar, so if he'* seeing a Torx-head screw there, then somebody has _really_ been playing mix-and-match with the hardware.

If it is a stripped Torx head, try tapping a slightly oversized Allen (hex) key into it and see if that can grip it. If you have metric and standard Allen keys, one of those should be a snug fit. Toss the screw as soon as you get it out!