VY Acclaim to Calais Conversion

[Qu35t]

So I’ve been searching because this has been something I’ve wanted to undertake for a while but could never find any definitive answers

My plan is do a full Calais interior/dash and headlight/tail swap into an acclaim


So I’ve laid hands on a written off vy calais, and so far I’ve stripped the interior ripped out the full body loom, dash and wiring is out but to pull the dash harness the engine bay fuse box and headlight looms have to come with, I have cut this in half at the firewall and plan on putting a bulkhead connector on to put it back in the acclaim,

From the look the Calais airbox/heater box is no different from the acclaim except for a control module at the back where all the vacuum lines run into,

When I strip the acclaim I will update as to weather the loom in that will have plugs for the “ extras “ that come in the Calais and whatever else is needed to do such a conversion

 

[krusing]

IMHO,
Don't waste your time and money,
The Electrics will be a PIA to get right,
Because it will always be an Acclaim on the Rego and the compliance plate,

Go and buy an original Calais, and just enjoy the luxury.

 

[Qu35t]

Yeah look everyone’s gonna say just buy a Calais but to me it’s not worth selling it just to buy another car when I have everything I need and the time just gotta figure out how to make it work better yet having an acclaim being half a Calais just makes it a unique car

 

[Fu Manchu]

I was under the impression that the HVAC was different. Though I could be wrong.

 

[Qu35t]

So I’m holding off swapping the heater box and body loom out because I’m working on a couple theory’s and the acclaim is a daily

If I can use the dash loom and heater box from the Calais with the Calais BCM and ecu and then technically everything should work, but as for the black headliner and main map light from the looks of the loom there’s an extra purple
Wire which feeds the switch that controls (off,door, on ) which isn’t in the acclaim body loom the lights work but the switch does nothing, once I find some diagrams and work out weather it’s just a 12v + feed or what I’ll have some updates
Will have more updates soon

 

[Fu Manchu]

The purple wire is a switched earth controlled by the BCM. You have to use it.

 

[Fu Manchu]

You should be using the manual with this project’s complexity.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uKn7wFSNkq1OIzVBRGfuQHf6OB8ihmlW

That won’t work on your phone.
Upload to pc or Mac

You can’t use it from the link. You have to download it.


You may need flash player. It’s an old document.

Also, your roof liner will have the cutout marked for the sunnies holder and light. You need specific screws for it because get the length wrong and you’ll fk your roof up all together. They are a short stubby screw. Get them from a wrecker.

I have converted several low spec Commodores to black interiors. It’s pretty easy. Your existing hole for the interior light is easily filled with some card board. The padded roof liner won’t show the patch.

Best grab the Calais b-pillar adjustable front seat belts and b-pillar trims. A nice touch.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Also, making the sunnies holder work from low spec wiring yet connected to high spec loom from Calais is going to do your head in. Go to the extra effort and use it as intended in a Calais. Retrim the roof. You can do the pillar trims at a later date.

 

[Qu35t]

Atm it’s got all the Calais trims and adjustable seatbelts, it’s going in for a roady hence why I’m holding out after it’s roady I’m gonna rip the interior again and do the heater box and body loom Conversion, to make everything work to properly,

I’ve got a crashed calais as a donor car so it makes life easy