How to remove console woodgrain?

[ChargerST]

I want to remove the woodgrain plates on my console to clean them up and install a new woodgrain. On the front piece and the small end piece the woodgrain plate is somehow clipped on (console door woodgrain hast screws). What's the best way to remove these clips - should I try to lift them with a screwdriver? or push the pins through the clip? The clips sit really tight on the pins and I don't wanna break anything.

[Cooter]

I have already done this on my 1970 Charger Console..Trust me, no matter how hard you try, you are prolly gonna break one or two of those pot metal studs....Those clips are a PITA to get off without breaking something...

[69chargerrt]

You're better off cutting the clips with tin snips or diagonal pliers and replacing them with new clips.   As Cooter says if you try to pull them off you'll run the risk of breaking the stud.   It's easier to just buy clips rather than fixing the stud or buying a new console plate, dahik  ....

David

[hemigeno]

I found out the hard way that you cannot remove those clips on the woodgrain plates without damaging them -- unless you cut them off somehow (IMHO a Dremel with a cutting wheel might work best, as it would not put ANY pressure on the woodgrain plate's attachment pin).  Prying of any sort on the clip is an invitation for damage to either the pin or the woodgrain plate itself.  The plates are fairly thin and appear to be made of aluminum, and if you even look funny at those pins they either break off, or they will leave a quite-noticeable pucker on the topside of the plate. 

The original finish of the plates themselves is some sort of woodgrain lithograph, and apparently there is no one in the country who can repair or replicate that process -- even though it used to be quite commonplace.

[ChargerST]

My options are: cut off the clips (have to find replacements then) or leave the woodgrain on and cut the new decal to shape. I bought a 3M decal but with a different kind of woodgrain (I has the correct "scratches" in it) - very expensive btw! I wanna put the same decal on the dash. Right now my console and my dash woodgrain are two very different shades.

I think the original process was that Chrysler printed the woodgrain on the thin aluminum plates and then put a clear foil with the scratches on top. The printing could be duplicated by water transfer printing..