Kadett Steering Gear Removal

[69OPELWAGON]

Hello-

I'm new to the world of Opels and have hit a snag while working on mine.

I'm attempting to remove the steering gear from my 69 Kadett wagon. The manual says to remove the stop bolt from underneath the steering column to pull the steering wheel/shaft back 3". On my car, the stop bolt is covered by a molded "V-shaped" vinyl pad that covers the lower edge of the metal bracket that connects the column to the dash that also contains the ignition switch. I cannot tell how it is attached to the dash, as there are no visible fasteners. There are two (very) small holes in the pad, but I can't see where they have screws, etc. in them. It almost seems as if the ends of this pad are attached underneath the horizontal molded vinyl pad that runs along the bottom of the dash, whose removal also appears to be a mystery. The factory manual doesn't give any clues, as far as I can tell. I tried unbolting the steering gear, and pulling it down/forward, without success. I know better than to attempt to use force on any of these items... Has anyone else run into this before?

The information in the forums has been invaluable in learning how to work on my car- Thanks!

[Mike Preble]

This item is just press fitted up into this area. There are no screws holding it up. Take a large screwdriver and pry it downward. I just did this the other day with my 69 Kadett.

Mike

[69OPELWAGON]

Mike-

Thanks so much for your assistance- you confirmed my suspicions. Due to some items seemingly being fabricated from "unobtainium", I've been exercising great caution in disassembling components on my Kadett...