Convert VK Executive to Calais

[Stevo-d]

Easy to change if you are confident with auto-electrics. If you have a Gregory's service manual, the wiring diagram is about 3-5 pages in from the rear. If you don't have it, let me know and I'll try and get it to you.

As well as the instruments, you will need all of the plugs (6 of them) that connect to it. Before cutting any wires, Strip away as much of the electrical tape as you can. Look at the diagram and match up the numbers of wires on the plugs to work out which plug is which, and label them. Check every wire on each plug, match the wire colour to the diagram, and label the wire. Some of the wires on some plugs lead to other plugs - you will see this in the diagram. Do not cut these wires - remove them intact, with the plugs to save you from having to rejoin them again later.
Be very careful. Study the diagram first. The last thing you want to do is put +12v up the fuel level input or anything like that! Most of the inputs are obvious, but I think I recall one plug had two black wires (or something like that), and it was a bit tricky to work out, but not impossible if you put logic to it. There was also one wrong wire colour given in the diagram, but it becomes apparrent when you're doing it. Check, Double Check and Triple Check that you have it all right. Then, check it again!
When you're sure it's correct, and you know exactly what every wire that you've labelled does, and you nearly know the wiring diagram with your eyes closed, cut the wires that you need to cut close to the wiring loom, leaving as much length as you can towards the plugs.
Next part obviously is to match all of those labelled wires to the wiring in your Berlina. I found the diagrams rather unhelpfull, and had to trace most of the inputs with a multimeter. You will probably need to run your own wire from the instruments to the handbrake switch wire.
I used crimp style connectors/joiners (get them from Jaycar Electronics for about $2 for 4) to join the wires. I also left the original plugs in there, just in case anything went wrong, I could put the old instruments back in.

You will also need to get a cruise control unit out of a Calais, as this has the speedo sender attached to it (don't forget to get the speedo cable and the sender wires & connector as well).
Run the speedo wires straight into the cabin where the old speedo cable came out. You might also want to run a wire through here for the low coolant sensor, if you want to put the Calais radiator in later (if so, get the control unit too - it's a biege coloured ceramic IC/chip under the dash on the drivers side - again, label all of its wires before cutting).

Once again, study the diagram. It looks daunting, but once you know it, it's fairly straight forward - And seriously, you should know it with your eyes closed. I havn't looked at it for weeks now, but I can still picture it in my head.

I hope I've given you an idea of what you're up for.
It's well worth it

 

[Stevo-d]

Easy to change if you are confident with auto-electrics. If you have a Gregory's service manual, the wiring diagram is about 3-5 pages in from the rear. If you don't have it, let me know and I'll try and get it to you.

As well as the instruments, you will need all of the plugs (6 of them) that connect to it. Before cutting any wires, Strip away as much of the electrical tape as you can. Look at the diagram and match up the numbers of wires on the plugs to work out which plug is which, and label them. Check every wire on each plug, match the wire colour to the diagram, and label the wire. Some of the wires on some plugs lead to other plugs - you will see this in the diagram. Do not cut these wires - remove them intact, with the plugs to save you from having to rejoin them again later.
Be very careful. Study the diagram first. The last thing you want to do is put +12v up the fuel level input or anything like that! Most of the inputs are obvious, but I think I recall one plug had two black wires (or something like that), and it was a bit tricky to work out, but not impossible if you put logic to it. There was also one wrong wire colour given in the diagram, but it becomes apparrent when you're doing it. Check, Double Check and Triple Check that you have it all right. Then, check it again!
When you're sure it's correct, and you know exactly what every wire that you've labelled does, and you nearly know the wiring diagram with your eyes closed, cut the wires that you need to cut close to the wiring loom, leaving as much length as you can towards the plugs.
Next part obviously is to match all of those labelled wires to the wiring in your Berlina. I found the diagrams rather unhelpfull, and had to trace most of the inputs with a multimeter. You will probably need to run your own wire from the instruments to the handbrake switch wire.
I used crimp style connectors/joiners (get them from Jaycar Electronics for about $2 for 4) to join the wires. I also left the original plugs in there, just in case anything went wrong, I could put the old instruments back in.

You will also need to get a cruise control unit out of a Calais, as this has the speedo sender attached to it (don't forget to get the speedo cable and the sender wires & connector as well).
Run the speedo wires straight into the cabin where the old speedo cable came out. You might also want to run a wire through here for the low coolant sensor, if you want to put the Calais radiator in later (if so, get the control unit too - it's a biege coloured ceramic IC/chip under the dash on the drivers side - again, label all of its wires before cutting).

Once again, study the diagram. It looks daunting, but once you know it, it's fairly straight forward - And seriously, you should know it with your eyes closed. I havn't looked at it for weeks now, but I can still picture it in my head.

I hope I've given you an idea of what you're up for.
It's well worth it

 

[Stevo-d]

Update - Calais power windows, mirrors and central locking

Well, this project has been going on for quite some time, and is still not quite done.... havn't had much spare time lately.

After a day of trying to get the doors off of the old Calais, I had to admit defeat... a pin removing tool, half a can of WD40 and a cr*p load of effort, I only managed to get one door pin out. Decision was made to swap all the door parts separately :bang:

Removing all the parts was relatively easy...

The front door lock mechanisms and their linkages all came out in one piece which made for easy re-fitting.
The window glass was easy to remove, but was a pain in the neck to get the winder assemblies adjusted properly after reinstalling.

The rear windows were relatively easy as they are a cable lift system with pretty much no adjustments required... the hardest part was keeping the cables in place around the pully... I wrapped electrical tape around the pully to hold it all together before removal, then once reinstalled, removed the tape.

The wiring for all the components was a bit tricky...
There are a set of relays for the windows and mirrors that were mounted in the fuse box... once again, careful wire tracing and lots of reference from the service manual was taken before removing them.
I reinstalled the relays under the dash on the passengers side and used the entire original harness to run out to all 4 doors and under the center console to the switches/controls.
There was also a circuit breaker in the fuse box for the windows which was connected to a permanent 12v supply... That is now mounted in the engine bay nearby, and connected directly to the battery.

The worst part about the wiring was the fact that there was no place for the wires to lead from the chassis to the doors... Very carefully positioned 12mm holes were drilled into the doors and chassis to get the wires through. Cable ties are used on the wires on the inside and outside of the doors, so they are fixed in place there and slide in and out of the chassis when the doors are opened and closed.
The holes had to be perfectly de-burred as after several weeks of use, the rough edging of the chassis holes wore through one of the wires on the drivers door :bang:

Another small problem was that the power mirrors would not quite fit flush to the outside of the standard doors - I couldn't see any noticeable difference between the doors. Its only a gap of a millimeter or two and I filled it with black silicon... not the greatest, but hey what are ya gonna do?

All in all, a reasonable success. I still havn't put the rear door liners back on, and one of the rear window switches got wet when my garage flooded during heavy rain, so is probably stuffed. Might need to pick up another one from a wrecker.

Once again, the purpose of this this post is to help anyone who wants to install Calais options into a standard Commodore.
I welcome anyone needing help with just about anything related to this topic to ask me any questions at all.

GOTTA LOVE THE CALAIS

 

[vkberlina]

Well The worst part about the wiring was the fact that there was no place for the wires to lead from the chassis to the doors... Very carefully positioned 12mm holes were drilled into the doors and chassis to get the wires through. Cable ties are used on the wires on the inside and outside of the doors, so they are fixed in place there and slide in and out of the chassis when the doors are opened and closed.
The holes had to be perfectly de-burred as after several weeks of use, the rough edging of the chassis holes wore through one of the wires on the drivers door :bang:

There is actually a place to drill the holes in the pillers & doors for the wiring. See attached image. From memory its a 15/16" hole saw or 23mm will do. There are split rubber gromets which should be fitted to protect the wiring and stop water getting in.

Another small problem was that the power mirrors would not quite fit flush to the outside of the standard doors - I couldn't see any noticeable difference between the doors. Its only a gap of a millimeter or two and I filled it with black silicon... not the greatest, but hey what are ya gonna do?

On the mirrors there is a thing rubber seal that goes downt he corner of the mittor and the frame of the door maybe yours is missing.

GOTTA LOVE THE CALAIS

Certainly love the calais options I love power windows

 

[JD]

Well, this project has been going on for quite some time, and is still not quite done.... havn't had much spare time lately.

After a day of trying to get the doors off of the old Calais, I had to admit defeat... a pin removing tool, half a can of WD40 and a cr*p load of effort, I only managed to get one door pin out. Decision was made to swap all the door parts separately :bang:

Removing all the parts was relatively easy...

The front door lock mechanisms and their linkages all came out in one piece which made for easy re-fitting.
The window glass was easy to remove, but was a pain in the neck to get the winder assemblies adjusted properly after reinstalling.

The rear windows were relatively easy as they are a cable lift system with pretty much no adjustments required... the hardest part was keeping the cables in place around the pully... I wrapped electrical tape around the pully to hold it all together before removal, then once reinstalled, removed the tape.

The wiring for all the components was a bit tricky...
There are a set of relays for the windows and mirrors that were mounted in the fuse box... once again, careful wire tracing and lots of reference from the service manual was taken before removing them.
I reinstalled the relays under the dash on the passengers side and used the entire original harness to run out to all 4 doors and under the center console to the switches/controls.
There was also a circuit breaker in the fuse box for the windows which was connected to a permanent 12v supply... That is now mounted in the engine bay nearby, and connected directly to the battery.

The worst part about the wiring was the fact that there was no place for the wires to lead from the chassis to the doors... Very carefully positioned 12mm holes were drilled into the doors and chassis to get the wires through. Cable ties are used on the wires on the inside and outside of the doors, so they are fixed in place there and slide in and out of the chassis when the doors are opened and closed.
The holes had to be perfectly de-burred as after several weeks of use, the rough edging of the chassis holes wore through one of the wires on the drivers door :bang:

Another small problem was that the power mirrors would not quite fit flush to the outside of the standard doors - I couldn't see any noticeable difference between the doors. Its only a gap of a millimeter or two and I filled it with black silicon... not the greatest, but hey what are ya gonna do?

All in all, a reasonable success. I still havn't put the rear door liners back on, and one of the rear window switches got wet when my garage flooded during heavy rain, so is probably stuffed. Might need to pick up another one from a wrecker.

Once again, the purpose of this this post is to help anyone who wants to install Calais options into a standard Commodore.
I welcome anyone needing help with just about anything related to this topic to ask me any questions at all.

GOTTA LOVE THE CALAIS

spent a bit of time on her haven't you?
2 years by my count

 

[GreenGremlin]

as far as getting the door pins out.. have you tried something called "liquid spanner"? it craps all over WD40s which is more a water dispersant anyway. This liquid spanner stuff penetrates right in.... its excellent for stubborn nuts and bolts etc. good luck

how did you go feeding the wires through for the electric windows and mirrors? 2 of my wires through that loom are stripped and one broken.

 

[Stevo-d]

Thanks for the info...

Yeah, well I figured that there would be a place to drill those holes, but that would mean taking the doors off... but after the trouble I went to trying to get the old Calais' doors off, I wasn't even going to attempt it on the Exexecutive (also my pin removing tool got jammed in one the pins on the Calais passenger door and is still there :bang: )

As for the mirrors, like I said, I inspected the Calais, and the Exec' doors very carefully and could not see any noticeable difference between them.... also, I put the drivers side mirror back onto the Calais door and it fit perfectly. It didn't seem like anything was missing. The only thing I can imagine is that there was some small modification they made to the doors in the factory that I just couldn't see. I considered giving the mounting plate on the door a good belt with a hammer, but it is very heavy grade steel, and just didn't seem like a very smart idea anyway .

Yes, I have spent quite a bit of time on it, but it's been worth it... And seeing as how the Calais cost me $5000 and the Executive only cost me $2000, I just look at it in the light that I saved myself three grand, and now also know a Calais like the back of my hand

Next step is installing the fuel injection - this is going to be my pet project... the concept is to keep the EST system, but control everything from injectors to spark timing by a PC that will most likely be mounted in the boot, allowing absolute tuning control of every allowable aspect of the engine
Sounds crazy I know, but by the time I'm finished, I should have a superb EFI system that I can tune myself and will provide an excellent combination of power, fuel economy and supreme driveability :w00t:

 

[Stevo-d]

Cane_It,

The wiring for the mirrors was easy... as I recall, they just ran down through a gap between the inner and outer walls of the door... after that they rejoined the loom and straight out through the holes I drilled.

As for this "Liquid Spanner" stuff, I would be very keen to give it a go, but have never seen it... Where can you buy it?

 

[GreenGremlin]

you need to go to tool shops, not Bunnings or the like, a proper tool shop where workshops buy their tools... try Blackwoods as a starting point... expect to pay about $15 for a can of it.... lasts ages though.

 

[murphy_51]

just a quick question how do I get the central locking wire unpluged and the unit out of the door (wire into plastic clip) thanks jeff