Hi,
I would like to remove the green vinyl off the dash which was installed by the previous owner. Can anyone if and how to remove the dash 'shelves' (not sure of the correct terminology)?
I can pull the vinyl off however, chances are it will need some touch up with paint and possible some clear coat and I can't think of way to do this while still in the car without getting over spray everywhere.....

Sorry, I've found the info on removing the top. Nothing on the bottom though.....

The lower dash rail is spot welded to the parcel tray and welded at each end to the door frames. To remove/replace it from the car looks like a serious job.
Peeling off the green vinyl looks to be the easier option. If you had to respray the rail, masking up the inside of the car will be fiddly but is not impossible. Steering wheel/column removal would give easier access if painting.

I agree. The vinyl should be easy to remove depending on what the PO used to stick it on. A heat gun and/or some solvent brushed in behind as you peel it off should do the trick. Then clean the surface thoroughly to remove glue remnants, mask up well with paper and spray.

To match the paint colour take something removable such as the rear number plate flap to an automotive paint supplier and they will make up a spray can in that colour so you can do it yourself.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

OK so I have removed the vinyl and resprayed the bottom part (came up a million bucks) so I'm no about to tackle the top. I really don't want to spray this while in the car as it will be very hard to tape up and get good coverage. For the life of me I cannot find any bolts holding it in. Does anyone have any pictures or can point me in the right direction? It looks like it is welded in (possibly by a previous owner???)

Like the bottom rail, the top rail is a permanent fitting and carries the windscreen. It is spot-welded to every panel around it and can't be removed as a bolt-in section.
The main problem you will have is that the vinyl continues up under the windscreen rubber sealing flange on the inside of the car.
Ideally it is best done with the windscreen and rubber seal out but realistically you should be able to carefully cut the vinyl around the rubber seal or even slightly under it and repaint like you did with the bottom rail.