Thats not true. You loosen the bolts (or nuts?) under the column bracket and it'll drop the column and inch or two....which is all you need. The red and black wires connected to the Ammeter can be removed by just pulling that side out a little bit. That will give you enough room to slip a small wrench in there and take them off. Other than the electrical connections and the speedo cable (which is the toughest part for me), the thing will come right out. Just make sure you have all the screws out of the front of the panel. Nothing else holds it in and you'll have to manuever it carefully to get it around the column.
