Honestly if I were you I probably would have just tried to replace the whole dash if I was already pulling it all the way off like that. You're right about how brittle it is. I just lost my 2008 Tahoe to a drunk driver but it had developed four distinct cracks in the 6.5 years I had it. It gave me anxiety whenever anyone in the passenger seat touched the dash at all because of how fragile it was. i just bought a 2011 Z71 Tahoe and it looks like the previous owner actually installed a dash cover over the original so I'm sure there are cracks underneath it.
Your dash looks solid now though, so let's hope no new cracks develop.
PS My last Tahoe had the tan interior with wood grain just like yours and the new one is just a black interior. I miss the old one!