VZ calais front end swap on SVZ wagon

[muney]

Gday guys,

am about to buy a SVZ wagon and wanted to put the calais headlights and chrome garnish on the front and being a wagon the chrome garnish on the back tailgate like the berlina..can someone tell me

1) how hard it is to swap the headlights (are they HID like the clubby ones?)
2) how hard is it to install the chrome garnish on front and rear..

would appreciate any help on the above matters..and am booking her straight in for a sunroof
will post pics as soon as i pic her up..shes a cutie!

[Troy711]

changing headlights is very easy... so is installing the chrome strip. look at the guide at the top of this forum for tips on easy removal of the front bumper. from there it is (if i recall correctly) 3 bolts and a few plugs and the headlights are done. you will also note that with the higher spec headlights the low beam will go out when the high beams are pulled on. i was told you can simply chop and change the wires around under the dash near the indicator stalk to fix this.

the bonnet strip is just as easy... there is a thread on here, just search and you will find it.

i cant help you with the rear thing

[Troy711]

here is the thread in question:

calias chrome mould

[muney]

you mean i gotta take off the bumper bar just to change the headlights??
i dont want to change the bumper bar if thats what your getting at..just the headlights..and are these headlights HID?

regards

[Troy711]

yea, you need to take it off. it is easy, takes 20 minutes first time you do it and it only gets faster one you know what you are doing

and yes, they are HID/projector lenses

[muney]

any idea how much i should be paying 2nd hand for these lights?? do i just ask for the SS or calais..are they both the same?
also with the problem of the park lights going out with the highbeams..is this easily fixed or not to worry about it..i hardly use the HB anyways..

[Troy711]

2nd hand you can sometimes get them off ebay for about 600 bucks, maybe a little less. ss and calais are the same. berlina are similar but are chrome instead of blacked out.

i also wouldnt worry about getting light problem fixed, it is standard and you would hardly notice a difference anyway

[muney]

troy..about to do the calais light changeover on my SVZ wagon..problem is..im following your guide..BUT ive only got 2 screws on the upper inside arch
way and none down the bottom..1 screw is above the bumper line/guard interface and one is below..soooo do i take both off..im thinking there should be something holding it together down the bottom like in your guard but there is no screws whatsoever there

edit: there is another screw on the bottom ..its basically around the corner but on the bottom corner of the bumper screwed in facing up if that makes any sense..
what about some screws behind the number plate..havent seen any but do they need to come off too?

[Troy711]

only take off the ones that are at, or below the bumper level. dont worry about the lack of screws down the bottom, i think they are prone to falling out anyway.

if there is screws behind the numberplate they need to come out

[commodore2004]

I see a pair of projector lights just listed on Ebay only just over $200.00


Holden VZ HSV Clubsport SS Projector Headlight Set - eBay VT, VX, VY, Holden, Car Parts, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 26-Nov-07 22:05:03 AEDST)

[xtr3]

...you will also note that with the higher spec headlights the low beam will go out when the high beams are pulled on. i was told you can simply chop and change the wires around under the dash near the indicator stalk to fix this...

I was wondering, is this dangerous for the cars electical system?
does this cause too much load on the alternator?
I have a VT with the International headlights (projector style) and I would like to do this mod... if it doesnt hurt my car.
Any info would be apprechiated
Cheers
Craig

[Troy711]

i cant see why it would, it is no different to driving along and holding your high beams on

[xtr3]

i cant see why it would, it is no different to driving along and holding your high beams on

Are you sure?
Do you know anyone who has done this mod...
Sorry to sound skeptic but I dont want to set fire to my car or anything :P ahaha

[Troy711]

i know someone on here has done it, i forgot who PMed me about it... they never had any problems

[xtr3]

Dont suppose by any chance that you know what modification i have to make for this to work?
I remember somthing about the white and grey wire in the stalk, but this was before JC went down.. and i cant find the thread again.
Anyone?
Cheers
Craig

[muney]

ive done this conversion guys and i can honestly say that i dont have a problem with the HB and PL problem..have a look at the pics on the pics thread..came up a treat..
infact just this morning i parked my car infront of a windown and threw the HB's on whilst the park lights were on..and the PL did not go off..weird hey

[xtr3]

Have you modified your stalk to put your low and high beams on at the same time? if so, could you tell me what I have to do to mine?
I have a VT Berlina, if that helps
Cheers
Craig

[muney]

Have you modified your stalk to put your low and high beams on at the same time? if so, could you tell me what I have to do to mine?
I have a VT Berlina, if that helps
Cheers
Craig

i havent altered anything..i just plugged and played..thats the headlights of course.. other than that..it makes a huge difference to the front end..just look at the pics in the pics section
cheers

[Benboy]

If you have modified the wiring for your headlights so that both low and high beam come on at the same time, your vehicle will be illegal and liabale to defect. Apart from that there is also the risk that you may cause 'night blindness' to oncoming driver(s) because of the increased glare. Think about it !!

[muney]

i just said i havent altered anything..its a simple plug n play process..

[xtr3]

If you have modified the wiring for your headlights so that both low and high beam come on at the same time, your vehicle will be illegal and liabale to defect. Apart from that there is also the risk that you may cause 'night blindness' to oncoming driver(s) because of the increased glare. Think about it !!

Hello Benboy
How can driving with your low and high beams at night (when your not in a town or following someone) be illegal
If your out in the middle of no where with all your headlights on, who is going to know and who is going to care.
Are you refering to someone having low and high on in a town, because ive heard of a mod that lets you have low beams, but when you flick your high on... the low beam remains on... this is what I am after.
If you wondering why the low beam goes out, its because they are projector style headlights, so there is no dual filliment lamp for low beam.

[CSP]

ive heard of a mod that lets you have low beams, but when you flick your high on... the low beam remains on... this is what I am after.
If you wondering why the low beam goes out, its because they are projector style headlights, so there is no dual filliment lamp for low beam.

Um... I have projector low beams and they stay on when the high beams come on. I was pretty certain this is the way it's always been on cars with two seperate physical lights each side (i.e. one for low and one for high).

Hell, even my 1970 HG Premier has this setup and the lows stay on when I flick the highs on...

[Calaber]

There is one important difference between the old sealed beam dual set-up for the early Holdens and the modern stuff.

HK to HZ dual headlight models used two different headlamps. The outer pair were dual element (high/low beam) and the inner pair were single element (high beam only). When you flicked high beam on, both high beam elements illuminated and the low beam element extinguished. You had four headlights, but all were on high beam.

Modern projector beam set-ups have single element lights for high and low. When you flick high beam on, the low beam outer lights remain on low beam and the inner high beams illuminate. I think the low-range Commodores still have H4 globes, which are dual element, as well as the separate inner high beam. If that's the case, all four lights will illuminate on high beam, the same as the older models.

Regards

pj

[=SKB=]

Looks nice mate. Nice work.