Calibra Interior
From Calibra Wiki - Vauxhall, Opel and Holden Information and Technical Resource
Interior modifications can range from the subtle to the extreme, depending on the owner's tastes and the depth of their wallet. This page covers everything from seating options to roll cages for a "racing look."
Below is a list of the most popular Calibra interior modifications.
Contents |
[edit] Seating Options
The interior of a Calibra is a reasonably nice place to sit straight from the factory. If you have one that came with a fabric trim, however, then you'll probably want your initial interior modification to be the retro-fitment of either the black or cream heated leather seats. All Calibra seats are made by Recaro and are a straight swap throughout the Calibra range - the leather trim improves the look and feel of the cabin no end. If you're going to do this then remember you'll need the heated seat switches from below the ashtray of the donor car as well. The wiring for the heating elements should already be present under the carpet no matter which model you buy. In addition to replacing the seats, some owners choose to source additional headrests and mount these behind the rear seats.
A popular misconception is that the entire interior is leather, whereas the truth is that only the seat facings themselves use this - the seat backs, headrests and door cards are trimmed in vinyl instead.
Racing seats from manufacturers such as Cobra and Sparco can also be fitted and trimmed to match the rear seats but it's important to buy a suitable subframe as well. Another point to consider with these is that, if you want to fit harnesses as well, you'll all but lose the access to the rear seats.
[edit] LED Fitment
If it evens lights up at all, you'll probably realise that the illumination on the heater control panel is a bit dim (this bulb is notorious for failing and can be awkward to change) - this is when a lot of Calibra owners decide to employ light emitting diodes (LEDs) to brighten things up. There are various different schools of thought regarding this modification but the majority of owners choose to place an LED in each section of the control panel that can be lit up. The most popular colour of LED used appears to be blue but owners are limited solely by colour availability.
From here, the possibilities are huge! LEDs can be used to replace virtually every bulb in the cabin so, if you desire, you can have a completely LED-lit interior by swapping the bulbs in the main dashboard assembly, the light control panel, the clock and all the switches. All you really need to do this is a soldering iron, some basic tools and basic mechanical knowledge and a fair amount of patience. Replacement LED bulbs can be bought quite readily now - these are "plug and play" replacements for such items as dashboard illumination, the auxiliary gauges (see below) and for the interior clock. Some owners, however, prefer to modify further and experiment with additional LEDs, as seen below.
[edit] Dial Options
[edit] Coloured Dials
Emulating the spirit of Henry Ford, Calibras were originally only offered with black dial faces from the factory; functional yet (some would argue) boring. Vauxhall themselves changed this when the range was facelifted by initially fitting grey faces (for one year) then equipping the remainder of the production run with white faced gauges. The most notable difference was that the whole of the white face illuminated, whereas the black and the grey ones simply lit the various markings on them. Many owners choose to retro-fit these later faces to update the look of their cabins.
Manufacturers such as Lockwood, however, offer replacement dial faces in a variety of different colours, including yellow, blue and red.
[edit] Plasma Dials
[edit] Steel Dials
Taking dial design a step further, Metal Monkey fabricate dial faces in stainless steel. These are available for all Calibra models (although there are currently no faces available for the auxiliary gauges) and come in a choice of three finishes: natural, black or white. They can be supplied with a choice of gel backing, depending on the colour you want the dials to light up.
[edit] Auxiliary Gauges
Later model Calibras came fitted with additional gauges displaying battery condition and oil pressure. These were mounted in a pod that clipped into the storage hole beneath the stereo aperture. A lot of early model owners choose to retro-fit these gauges to update their interior. To do this, you will need a different oil pressure sender unit to the one fitted to early model engines - if you can source a secondhand unit then do so as they cost £102 plus VAT from Vauxhall. As with the majority of the interior trim, these gauges can be sourced from Cavaliers as well as Calibras and, as with the heated seat switches, some owners find that the wiring for these gauges is already present behind the centre console. If the wiring isn't there, it's a simple matter of running wires to an ignition switched live, an earth, a live for the illumination (such as the clock) and a feed to the new oil pressure sender.
These secondary gauges came with both white and grey faces so you may choose to change your main display faces to match these. The white faces illuminate completely and the grey faces only illuminate the markings (as with the original black faces).
[edit] Aftermarket Gauges
Mainly the preserve of Turbo owners (for displaying boost pressure), there are a number of manufacturers who produce additional gauges and mounting pods. The most common (and arguably the most popular) mounting position is on the driver's side A pillar so it is within the driver's visual range. Other popular locations include in the centre of the dashboard (replacing the central air vents) and at the driver's side of the dashboard (replacing the right hand air vent). Gauges fitted include boost pressure, oil temperature and inlet charge temperature and the pods are available with provision for fitting up to four gauges.
Notable gauge manufacturers include Stack and Mocal, and the mounting pods and suitable gauges can be purchased from retailers such as Demon Tweeks, Halfords and Speeding.
[edit] Clock Options
The interior clock can also be changed and this depends on which unit your Calibra currently has fitted. You can choose between a standard analogue clock, a DID (Dual Information Display) unit which shows the time and the ambient air temperature or an on-board computer which will display fuel economy, air temperature, average speed, etc.
