Hard Work And A Dash Of Persistence

I have been busy since my last post researching the power mirror options available to these early third generation Trans Ams. I have the switch and what looks to be factory wiring running in the right spot, but both mirrors are the manual type and there is an aftermarket manual adjuster lever on the driver side door. I can see no wiring in the door for the power mirrors, so I am worried that this will be another hacked apart wiring job. I have found a few sources for power mirrors, but without being able to ascertain the condition of the power mirror harness I am hesitant to buy any that do not have a complete harness.

This finalized my decision to remove the dash completely. I had already been leaning in that direction because I want to see what condition the firewall is in and what might be hiding behind it. I started removing pieces as I had time on weeknights, but most of the work was done this last weekend. With every piece I removed I found wires just hanging there; some with plugs, some without. It is a wonder anything in the car was working! The best discovery came while I was standing on my head (at least it felt that way) under the dash. There among the many disconnected wires were the remote mirror plugs, one on each side completely intact. Now all I need are the mirrors! 

I still have a few spots preventing me from removing the entire dash including two very stubborn screws that will turn but will not back out. I have tried everything I can think of including applying back pressure as I attempt to turn the screws out. So far nothing has worked. I have asked on a couple of forums for ideas, so we'll see what that turns up.

While I was busy working on the dash, Sara went to town on the floor pan drain plugs. They were sealed at the factory with some type of glue to which the carpet jute padding was sufficiently stuck. She used a heat gun to super heat the glue and a putty knife to scrape/chisel off the padding and glue. There were a total of nine plugs and it took roughly four hours to get them cleaned off and the plugs removed.

I worked on the drain plug in the lower rear cargo area because it was a little bit of a reach to get down to that level. I just want to say that I know I am incredibly lucky to have a wife who is so willing to help me on this project, but then again that is why I fell in love with her. Thanks again Sara!

After finishing with the plugs we removed the rear side marker lights and the rear tail lights. Then we used some multi-purpose cleaner and sprayed everything from the rear seats backward. We followed that up with several rinses of hot water. This helped to remove much of the years of accumulated dust and grime.