Owner's manual holder...removal question

In order to mount my new concealed carry holster (see discussion a few weeks ago ) I need to remove the owner's manual holder under the steering column. It appears to be held by plastic rivets. At least it looks like they're rivets since they seem to be smooth headed and don't have screw slots. And there's too much "stuff" under there to get in there to see if they are screwed on (like a stove bolt i guess) or if they're really rivets. I tried to just pull it out (gently) but no luck. Anyone have any ideas on how to get it removed? Do I 1) just yank it off and potentially break something or damage the holes or 2) take apart everything under the dash so I can get to the rivets (or nuts if that's what they are) and snip them off?

Thanks

I'm pretty sure they are rivets. I'm sure they could be shot off, though.

Or, a less violent method of drilling them out since they are plastic. No need to use a sledge hammer to kill a gnat, unless you just want to have a little fun.

Quote
db997S
Or, a less violent method of drilling them out since they are plastic. No need to use a sledge hammer to kill a gnat, unless you just want to have a little fun.

Of course!! Drilling is certainly the easiest and safest way, especially since they're plastic. (I only thought about shooting them off for a second or two. It would work, but might be troublesome for the wiring let alone my hearing) And since Pelican sells the rivets for all of $1 per, I can even put it back where it belongs when it's time to sell.

I would just use a dremel to take off the heads of the rivets. No chance of damaging the metal framework underneath with a drill. Then when they are exposed, they can be removed individually with a bit more care.

Theoretically you can pry them out since the center part goes into an outer part that expands. I'm not saying it's easy to get a grab on them.

I tried to do that but there's not enough room to get even my smallest pliers in there to grab anything. Looks like drilling is going to be the option.

You could conceivably push the pins out from the other side if you reach around.

Tried that. Too much "stuff" up there to get access to it. Not enough room and the left one is under what appears to be an a/c duct.

If it has an "accordian" section then you can push it to the side and it will pop out.

They are just little rivets. Just stick a big screwdriver or pry bar in there and pry each side until the rivet pops out. The dash and probably the shelf itself are stronger than the rivets by far, so they will not be harmed.

Could you post some before and after pics? I may want todo the same thing.

How is your installation coming? I take possession of an 09S Monday and am interested in adding the same mod you have.

Quote
KevinR-MedinaOhio
How is your installation coming? I take possession of an 09S Monday and am interested in adding the same mod you have.

As far as I know, none of the 987's have a manual holder. (I keep mine in the glove box).

I believe the manual holder was only in cars that had no glove box.

Finished installing. I will take some pics today and start a new post with instructions! lol. The holster required some minor modifications to get it to work on the Boxster. No big deal but I'll explain what I had to do to get it to work.

I ended up just popping off the holder with a flat pry bar (actually a paint scraper). It came right off with no damage. It just took more force that I was initially prepared to use. The rivets looks like they're reusable. A bonus.

It's the middle of tax season so I'm not sure I'll be able to get pics and the detailed instructions on what I had to do on here today but I'll try

Bob