Ive done both..although I have a 97.I just drilled a hole through the firewall in the passenger sides foot panel..and ran the wires that way..through blue wire loom...that worked pretty well...but with my dash..it was also hard to take off...just as youre explaining...you need to squeeze your hand in there and unhook all the wires in there...once youve unscrewed all the screws ...dont forget you may have missed one or two..make sure you check and see if you got all the screws.You just need to reach behind there and unhook everything...its not easy...but theres not much to it....just be sure and I mean SURE you mark which wires go where..because now I have no hot air lol....trial and error I guess....I should have taken pictures when I did it...but it slipped my mind..and Im not about to take my dash apart again lol...Im sure you understand why...
Good Luck