Right - are we sitting comfortably, children?
Come on - stop fidgeting at the back and settle down!!!!
Come on, quiet now.
Right, alot of this is purely from memory, and you WILL need your trusty Haynes Joke Book (HJB) that covers both Carlton and Senator B, cos it's pretty good as far as the dash is concerned. I don't have any pics of the installation, but there are alot in the HJB.
For this exercise, we'll assume that you'll be using the Senator dash with the cable operated heater switches - I did fit a Climate Control dash and wired it to work purely as a heater, as I have no aircon or air recirculation. Long story, and I've forgotten how I did it, but I do need to do it again (another long story!), so there could be another verse and chapter to do!
Referring to the HJB, remove the Senator centre console, front doorcards door air vents and dash in it's entirety, noting positions of switches, fixings etc as you go - it takes a little longer, but reaps a massive benefit when it comes to re-installation! Things like butter pots and small plaggy bags come in useful here too. NOTE - the air feed pipey thing to the centre vents is very, very delicate. Don't worry if you do rip it a bit, as Gaffer tape will suffice to repair it. (Mine just about fell to bits, but it came good with Gaffer tape and cardboard - Mr Heath Robinson would have smiled!!). If you want to paint/refinish the wood trim, now is the ideal time to do so, as most of the dash trims are difficult to get to with the dash in situ.
Referring to the HJB, remove the Carlton front seats and dash in it's entirety - it's gonna take a good morning/afternoon, especially if you bag'n'tag all the bits and mark the wiring. If your Carlton doesn't have heated seats, you might be lucky and find the wiring for heated seats wrapped up near the tunnel, under the carpet. You will, however, need the proper seats to be able to warm yer bum..........
Once it's all out, it's a good idea to check for rust and cure if necessary - although mine is a 1989 model, I had none, but some might, so now is an ideal opportunity to do so. It's worth checking on any seals, grommets and fixings, just to be sure.
Try the Senator dash into the Carlton - it should go straight in. Now, before you screw it in for good, get your wiring loom up into the dash - read any notes you might have made to ensure it goes in correctly - saying that, it's pretty obvious.
Once you're happy with the positioning of the wiring, the heater comes next - and this is where my memory is a bit hazy..........I'm pretty sure that you'll need the Senator matrix, so get that installed. If you need new ally pipes, I'm sure VX still have them, but if not, don't be afraid to use good quality rubber hoses, as sometimes the cast ally pedal box in some Carltons (facelifted GSi definitely!) will not allow the use of the proper ally pipes.
Now replace the Carlton instruments, Senator headlight switch and centre air vents - being careful with the air feed pipey thing!
Refit the heater control panel, speakers, trims etc., as per the HJB.
Remove the Carlton front door cards and replace with the Senator air vents and cards.
Fit the Senator console, replace the front seats, and that's about it!
There might be the odd little detail missing, but as I say, it was three years ago I did this, and some of it's a little hazy!
Hopefully, you should now be admiring your weekend's work, and feeling chuffed with yourself - get the missis to make you a nice cup of tea, and then take the Carlton out for a spin...............if you take the missis out with you, then make sure the back seats get a good "testing", as it's surprising how off-balance the car can be when the dash has been removed, The rear suspension needs re-affirming...........
*DISCLAIMER - if Pete Tong comes round, I didn't send him. I don't pretend to know all there is to know about this conversion, merely that I have done it, and it went well. LHD cars might be completely different - if they are, then sorry, but you're on yer own, mate!
