electrical - firewall->fuse box connection --- also paint question

[tard01]

so i got my continuity tester last night to work on my electrical problem.

issue:
front headlights dont turn on
(the yellows wiring is fine, it is the headlight circuit that is broke)
also, the back up lights dont turn on --- might be bulb.


anyway, i took my tester and tested all fuses. they were all fine. i went to the light itself and testing its prongs, all 3 wires read 0v, dead.

so this leads me to believe that i might have an issue at the panel that connects teh firewall to the cab BEHIND the fuse box. i took a glance at the wires int he dark and they did seem to have quite a bit of build up. I decided i was going to pull some of the wires to do some basic troubleshooting on the connections there.

My question is - is there anything i need to know to bring, or to not do concerning that firewall/cab connector box? or anything i need to be aware of when removing the fuse box to gain access?





also a side question -
my dashboard is blue, instrument cluster black, and teh metal under both (glove box area, or under steering wheel) is blue.
does vinyl paint typically do just fine on the dashboard? I was going withj black - should i go with a mat/flat black, or gloss? I was thinking mat/flat.
and what kind of spray paint would be passable for the metal parts? should i just skip the idea of doing a spray and wait until i can do a more proper job? i was hoping to do a quick easy simple job to last me about 3 years until i got to painting it.

this question also applies to the doors.