The dash fascia will pull out without trouble from the air vents, all the internal parts for them are housed in a box connected to the back of the fascia, impossible to break. The whole thing pulls away just leaving a tube going into the dash

I have a shift kit installed on my 96 EF Gli, i dont know whether the shifts points are any different between the EF and EL, it shifts a hell of a lot harder than it did before though, thats using the BTR dual stage electronic shift kit

I found the side vents really easy to remove, just lightly pry them out with a screwdriver or something

i used a wide chisel with a rag over it and levered it out evenly, i had a little trouble putting them back in but thats cause me being an idiot took them both out and forgot which side was which

Also yeah i barely ever really use my shift kit, only for the occasional laugh really