I took my dash apart last night and posted to the Maxima board about extension cords for the climate controls. While I had it apart, I ran into a couple minor problems, but it looks like it'll work. With the faceplate removed from the climate controls, they fit nicely in the armrest.

I'm still undecided what to do about the gap that will be left around the empeg, but that's not gonna stop me from installing it!