mine i noticed hits the 4WD shifter, thats why i removed seats, i just looked at it again

 

Just unplug the steering column and drop it down, then unplug everything from the dash that you can see, take and pull the dash back far enough to reach the heater box on the passenger side and use a bungy strap to hold it there, remove the heater box and replace part and reinstall. That is the fastest and easiest way of doing it I do it all the time at the dealership. You can waste too much time and energy taking the complete dash out and steering column out.

 

Thanks for all the input from everyone; from here and a couple of other sites I gathered what it was I was missing to do. I had to pull the whole dash because as many of you know the original dashboard is a junk pile waiting to happen. I ordered a new ABS dashboard out of Florida. I am making a .pdf article with photos with what, where, why and how details because of this that I will be posting on the web for those who need to do a heater core or dashboard replacement. It is the least I can do to save others the headaches of scratching their heads of what to do next.

Mahalo and Aloha to everyone from Kauai,
Richard Godbehere Jr.