You do not need to use the conduit; in fact trying to do so may make you nuts! As noted above, when you remove the vent, you can get a snake in there to pull your new wire. Also as noted, run a strong thin line to leave in place for the next time you need to pull something. Do be careful of the routing at the console end of things. You do not want to run through harness, shift, or steering components. That can make things dicey.
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