As to the removal/refitting.
I have had the dials pod in and out a few times now, and yes you can do it without taking off the steering wheel.
The outer cowl will pull out and then you can rotate it left to leave it hanging on the cables to the mirror switch and light potentiometer. Then you can release the instrument pod and pull it forward to access the plugs. with a bit of wriggling you will be able to slide it out around the steering wheel.