'71 dash switch removal & replacement

[Flieger]

I'd like to delete my rear window defrost switch (because racecar- plexiglas rear window) but I'm trying to figure out how to remove it. I figure I just need to loosen the set screw for the bezel then I can undo that and pull the switch out from behind the dash, but my smallest screwdriver doesn't fit and I can't really tell what kind of screw it is. Can anyone help me out?

While I'm at it I might like to remove the cigarette lighter too (although it could be useful to charge a phone it is currently occupied by a plastic plug to make it look better). Any tips for that?

Lastly my emergency flasher switch appears to have been held in with duct tape to make it a press fit. I figure I need a new one but want to confirm this is the right style for a '71. PP shows a different one.

[ejboyd5]

For occasional use, it is easy to bend a length of an appropriate diameter stiff wire (coat hanger) into a shape that will allow its ends to fit into the holes in the escutcheon and hold it in place while the switch is removed from inside the panel. Snap Ring pliers assembled so that their points oppose each other to fit into the holes can also work well. Small drill bits can also be used to access the holes. From my experience, removal and reinstallation of the escutcheon is easiest and less likely to cause damage if whatever tool used simply holds the escutcheon motionless while whatever needed turning motion is accomplished on the switch itself. Trying to turn the escutcheon by itself only invites slippage of the tool and scratching of the instrument panel.

[Flieger]

Oh, so those aren't screws, they are just holes- got it. I thought the switch would have a D or double-D shaped hole in the dash and the escutcheon was just a locknut. When I looked from the trunk side I was even more confused though since it seemed like there was some sort of gasket that was bonded to the "firewall" around the switch, such that even if I got the ring off that it wouldn't come out. Glad to see I was way wrong about how it worksl I will try some of those tips, thanks!