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Transmission Cover Fastener question

nevets

Jedi Knight
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I am attempting to remove the transmission cover on my BN6. While the fasteners attaching the cover to the floor panels are conventional sheet metal screws, there are fasters attaching the front flange to the bulkhead that appear to be rivets? At first I thought they might be hex or torx head screws, but when I inserted an allen wrench I was able to push it right through the center of the fastener, which leads me to believe it's a rivet.

Why a rivet? Is this a standard detail? Maybe the threads in the bulkhead got stripped and the PO/restorer wanted to avoid a large sheet metal screw for aesthetic reasons? Assuming it is a rivet, is my only option is to drill it out? Any advice is appreciated.

Note: One of the pictures has been rotated 90 degrees by the BCF uploading process..
 

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Not sure about a BN6, but those fasteners on my BT7 have always been Phillip (or Posidrive) head sheet Metal screws.
 
OK, so they should be Phillips screws. Any thoughts about the fasteners I have encountered? Thanks.
 
The one in the 1st pic looks suspiciously like the male half of a carpet snap.
 
Interesting...if that's what they are then maybe the screws that actually secure the tunnel to the bulkhead are hidden under the bulkhead carpet? I'll peel it back further and have a look. Thanks for the reply,
 
Turns out those fasteners are rivets. They go right through the bulkhead. Guess I will need to drill them out and replace with screws. Question...is it necessary to remove the seat frames, which are bolted to the floor, in order to remove the transmission tunnel? I would rather not, but the trans/tunnel flange that screws into the floor is very wide. Thanks.
 
Turns out those fasteners are rivets. They go right through the bulkhead. Guess I will need to drill them out and replace with screws. Question...is it necessary to remove the seat frames, which are bolted to the floor, in order to remove the transmission tunnel? I would rather not, but the trans/tunnel flange that screws into the floor is very wide. Thanks.

You should be able to unbolt the lower seat frames from the slides, lift the seats out and move the inner slides all the way to the rear. If you can't remove the tunnel at that point, you'll need to remove the inner slides from under the car.

On my car, I don't have to remove the slides. IIRC, the tunnel flange may be notched where it aligns with the front of the inner slides.

PS - my car - and the Moss catalog - have no screws or rivets connecting the tunnel to the extension panel as shown in the pictures above.
 
Thanks steveg

I'm not sure why there are rivets fastening the tunnel to the bulkhead? Interesting that you don't have any fasteners along that flange. I'm guessing the restorer used fasteners to hold the cover snug to the bulkhead for a neater look?
 
Thanks steveg

I'm not sure why there are rivets fastening the tunnel to the bulkhead? Interesting that you don't have any fasteners along that flange. I'm guessing the restorer used fasteners to hold the cover snug to the bulkhead for a neater look?
Probably to help keep the heat out.
 
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