70 Dart rallye dash removal help

So far i've removed the the 6 bezel screws, disconnected the fuse box, light switch and hand brake.
Removed the steering wheel, the 3 column nuts,bolt and the 2 firewall bolts. It's a manual column and it will only drop 1/2 inch. I want the column down low so i can get my large mitts in there to disconnect the speedo and rev counter.
I'm doing all of this so i can fit a new dash pad, the windscreen is out too as it was cracked.
Do i need to disconnect the column from the steering box