TR2/3/3A Dash Switches Removal

[oxendine]

I'm trying to remove the dash switches from my panel and thought I remembered how. Guess not! I thought the plastic had a small screw that needed to be removed first but mine don't appear to have a slot? Maybe been messed with before? Regardless how do the knobs pull off?

 

[TR3driver]

Almost all of them have a hole with a pin that must be depressed. A pin punch is probably best, but a bent paper clip will work fine. Hold the pin down, and pull the knob straight off.

The only exception that I know of, some of the heater knobs have a screw rather than a pin.

Usually the TR3 Bakelite knobs are easy to pull off (once the pin is depressed), but later cars used a plastic of some sort that tends to shrink over time and grip the shaft rather firmly. When we did a buddy's TR6, I wound up using a pair of small pry bars (to keep the pull as straight out as possible) and a couple scraps of wood to protect the dash. They did come off without damage, but not until after I had gotten permission to break the switches (meaning I was applying enough force that I thought they might break). We used a small screwdriver blade, ground to a chisel shape, to enlarge the holes slightly before putting them back.