can someone please explain to me how to remove the Fan controls in the dash? I've taken off all of the knobs, unscrewed all of the screws in the front, and the piece will not come off! I want to get it out so that I can check the wiring behind the dash without having to take the dash out, as well as putting new bulbs into my gauges (they are slightly faded and loose). There are stray wires running around everywhere behind the dash, and I just want to fix what is broken and hide what isn't.

The slide levers on the front are cable controls for your vents, heater valve. They look like your choke cable so follow them to the clamps and levers to unhook them.You dodo not have to remove the knobs but the radio has to come out first. Take careful note on how they are routed because they come out easy and are hard to get back in.

so I have to undo the metal cables first, and then the dash piece pulls out?

Yes, and as you pull it out you will need to unplug the harnesses to the fan, light and A/C.