Full interior swap - need help!

[Land-Barge]

Funny how things go eh?  Went down my local scrappy to get a new wiper motor and ended up putting a deposit down on a whole new interior!

Anyway as the new interior is black and my cdx interior is grey im planning on taking the whole lot out, and this is where is need your help

1 - Dashboard whats the easiet/best/quickest way to get it out? (without breaking it of course! ) i got lost looking through the haynes manual ive got, do i really have to take off the heater matrix? i only want the dash surround and glovebox, none of the heater controls, dials and stuff

2 - Centre console, the donor car is an automatic, how do i get the console over the gearselector, do i have to dismantle the selector first?

3 - Pillar trims, are these just clipped in or are there any hidden srcews? i do not wanna be snapping these!  Do i have to unbolt the seatbelts to remove them?

4 - Heated seats, is the wiring loom for these separate from the main loom for these and will i be able to connect them up to my CDX (my cdx dosent have heated seats but could the wiring be there?)

5 - Just one more thing, will i have any interchangeability problems with fitting later facelift interior into a prefacelift carlton?  The only thing i think could be different are the doorsill trims?

Cant wait to get this new interior boshed in

[Murph]

Dash - really should go by the haynes manual, and it's not as daunting as it might seem - you will NOT need to remove the heater box or matrix.

Gear selector - the gear selector surround is easily removed - chech the haynes again.  One the surround is off and the habbrake surround is off it's just a matter of unscrewing and lifting it off.

Pillar trims - remove the flexible trim around the door frame and they pull off easily - you will need to unbolt the bottom seatbelt anchorage.

Heated seats - You MIGHT have the wiring for them - there doesnt seem to be any pattern to tell either way.

Should all to straight in - including the sill trims.

[bstardchild]

1 - Dashboard whats the easiet/best/quickest way to get it out? (without breaking it of course! ) i got lost looking through the haynes manual ive got, do i really have to take off the heater matrix? i only want the dash surround and glovebox, none of the heater controls, dials and stuff

From memory

Centre console needs to come out first

- Windscreen vent prises out to reveal the bolts (4?)
- Screws on side of dash (2 or 3 on each side)
- 2 bolts hidden behind centre console at bottom of the dash
- Speedo and all those swiches etc need to come out first
- Steering wheel needs to be removed along with the column trims

Biggest problems are

- the loom is clipped to the dash and the clips break if you aren't carefull
- the vent tubes are awkward and need to come with the dash
- Keeping the right screws with the various bits

2 - Centre console, the donor car is an automatic, how do i get the console over the gearselector, do i have to dismantle the selector first?

Only the plastic bit that sits in it and it comes past the lever

- 2 screws under the rear cubby hole
- 2 screws at the front of the centre console

3 - Pillar trims, are these just clipped in or are there any hidden srcews? i do not wanna be snapping these!  Do i have to unbolt the seatbelts to remove them?

Clipped and held in by

- the sill covers
- the door seals
- the seatbelts themselves (need to be unbolted from sill and passed thro the pillar trims (personally I'd take the seatbelts with the trims from the donor)

4 - Heated seats, is the wiring loom for these separate from the main loom for these and will i be able to connect them up to my CDX (my cdx dosent have heated seats but could the wiring be there?)

Might be might not

5 - Just one more thing, will i have any interchangeability problems with fitting later facelift interior into a prefacelift carlton?  The only thing i think could be different are the doorsill trims?

And the heater vent pipes are slightly different from memory

Overall allow a day to do the job properly and fit the dash first before anything else with the car empty

[Johnraka]

If it is of any help take a look in the 'How to' section of the forum, there are a couple of postings there on Dashboard swaps, hopefully some of the notes and pictures will be of some help to you.

[mrchaz]

I've taken several out so if you need a hand just give us a shout and I'll come over.

[Land-Barge]

Cheers for your help guys, just one other thing, the donor car has aircon and mine dosent, so will there be any major difference when i come to fit the new dash to mine (ie the vent pipes BC mentioned?)

I've taken several out so if you need a hand just give us a shout and I'll come over.

Cheers Mr C i may hold you to that

[mrchaz]

Just keep the duct work from your dash and it will all go in OK.

[Murph]

Use your existing ducts and controls and it will all fit perfick!

[Whippit]

Can I scrounge the fan control switch out of the aircon one?

[Land-Barge]

Can I scrounge the fan control switch out of the aircon one?

Are they the switches on the dash your talking about

[Murph]

The rotary switch above the sliders I think.

It's slightly different on A/C cars.

[Whippit]

aye thats the one, my blowers dont work on full and I'm pretty sure its the switch. It is different on the air-con ones

[Land-Barge]

Right ive got the interior but i would like to test the heated seats, can i just wire them up to a battery and check whether the seats are warm? how long does it take for them to heat up?

As for the wiring loom i assume the best way to check is to pop the blanks on the dash and see if the connectors are there?  I couldnt get the wiring from the donor as it runs off into the main loom, but i did cut out all the plugs so i could possibly still wire them in

BTW whippet that switch you were on about, i broke it while removing the dash, sorry mate

[Whippit]

ah well thats how it goes..........no worries

[Pedro]

Right ive got the interior but i would like to test the heated seats, can i just wire them up to a battery and check whether the seats are warm? how long does it take for them to heat up?

Yes. Takes about five minutes max.

As for the wiring loom i assume the best way to check is to pop the blanks on the dash and see if the connectors are there?  I couldnt get the wiring from the donor as it runs off into the main loom, but i did cut out all the plugs so i could possibly still wire them in

If your car has wiring, there should be plugs (for the switches) behind the blanks on the dash, also you might be in luck and have the seat wiring tucked up under the centre console, or tucked down the side of the carpet under the console. Have a good root about. If not, then it's not difficult to wire them in - I'm sure a few guys on here have done that.