How do you remove the driver airbag on a '99 Pontiac Sunfire GT?!?

[Asa7]

my friend owns the car and im helping him redo the interior. he wants to paint some of the dash parts to match the exterior color. one of the parts to paint is the lower dash on the left side of the steering wheel.

well that part is a nightmare cuz its all one mold from door to door. and it doesnt seperate like my cavalier. we HAVE to remove the steering wheel to pull it out. so i tried loosening the two bolts in the back of the wheel, but all they do is spin. we were able to pry the airbag part and the foam apart to look inside and there are springs around the threads of the two bolts. why is that? and how the hell do you get the bolts out to lift the airbag out?! were about to just cut the center of the steering wheel out, just so we can get the rest of the wheel off. so theres a second question, how much is a drivers airbag for a 99 sunfire gt?

 

[kaliman78alfa]

Don't cut or brake anything!!!

1- Unplug the battery.
2- Unscrew the bolts behind or at the sides of steering wheel, they will remain attached to it, but the airbag module will come off, unplug it very carefully. Leave the bolts attached to the wheel, no need to take them off.
3- Unscrew steering wheel nut (3/4 or 13/16).
4- Extract steering wheel with special tool (steering wheel extractor) impossible to do without special tool.
5- Be careful, you don't play with airbags.
6- Assembling back: Reverse procedure, double check, plugging battery is last step. Be careful. Good luck.