question about tunnel fastners

[nevets]

I need to remove the transmission tunnel from my BN6. The tunnel appears to be fastened to the bulkhead with rivets, the heads of which were painted to match the interior, see attached pics. Before I drill them out, I thought I would check if there are any potential issues I should be aware of. Comments, advice, etc. would be appreciated.

 

[Jack T]

Originally, the only rivets present attach a rubber / canvas diaphragm to the removable bulkhead piece. The tunnel and bulkhead are attached with sheet metal screws.

 

[John Turney]

I think those "rivets" are to hold the vinyl trim on the tunnel flange. There are probably sheet metal screws under the vinyl that actually hold the tunnel to the bulkhead.

 

[nevets]

Thanks for the replies. I'm a little nervous about deconstructing the carpeting on the bulkhead and tunnel, but it's necessary to access the OD solenoid...need to do it carefully.

 

[TimK]

Just to clarify, the rivets do not have to be removed to remove the tunnel. They just attach a rubber flap that seals the engine compartment from the interior of the car. The tunnel attaches to a removable bulkhead that does not need to be removed to remove the tunnel. The tunnel is attached to the bulkhead with sheet metal screws which are under the carpet. My screws were hidden under some type of sealant that I had to scrape off to find the screws. (I have a BN7 which is the same as a BN6 in the tunnel construction area).