is there a good way to go about unbending those bendy tab things?

The only way I've found is to just go in with a thin flat-blade screwdriver and lever them back up. Most of them you will be able to lever against the main part of the cage itself. If you have to lever against part of the dash, be careful that you don't cause damage. The tabs actually bend back up more easily than you'd expect. The one time I took my cage out I was quite surprised at how easily it was accomplished.

tanstaafl.

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