W123 dash removal question

[Jeremy5848]

I've been reading through the various W123 dash removal threads and dmorrison's excellent write-up in the Wiki section. Most of the threads are concerned with major a/c work whereas I just want to replace my cracked dash with an uncracked one (and a few vacuum pods while I'm in there).

The question I haven't been able to answer is -- is it necessary to pull the console in order to remove the dash? I don't want to have to take the car any more apart than necessary. For my '87 300D Turbo (W124, OM603) I didn't have to remove the console but wasn't sure about the 123--most threads seem to involve removing the console as part of the dash removal process.

Jeremy