September 8th, 2007 Posted in Cars

Fitting Corsa C repeaters to the Calibra

Warning: This article contains tasks that may cause you to be electrocuted, sanded, cut or burned. You may also ruin your car. None of these things are my fault if you do them, right?

Despairing in my orange nipple side repeaters, I purchased some Corsa C repeaters and obtained the wiring and plug from a smashed Corsa B in the scrappy. Never one to take the easy route, I avoided the aftermarket repeaters that fit straight in the hole on a Calibra/Nova/Cavalier wing. I decided to Dremel my wings to bits instead 😛

For this project I used:

  • Dremel + Cone shaped sander, little nibbler bit and cutting disc
  • Masking tape
  • Electrical tape
  • Bullet or spade connectors
  • Small pliers
  • Soldering iron and solder
  • String
  • Card
  • Scalpell
  • CD marker
  • About four hours, all in

Removing the old repeaters
Firstly, I disconnected the battery to avoid fire. I then unscrewed the first orange nipple, and removed the bulb (I had to smash the second one off, because it was stuck on with mastik). I then manoeuvered the white plastic repeater out of the wing with a tiny screwdriver applied to the top and bottom of the plastic bulb holder. The wing is going to get Dremelled anyway, so don’t be shy. Luckily, on one side my car had bullet connectors on the repeater wires, as it has been resprayed at some point. If not, chop the wires close to the bulb holder to give you plenty of wire to work with.

Wiring
Strip the wires back and attach bullets. Tape some string to the wires and drop them inside the wing out of the way. Chop your scrapyard Corsa bulb holder a few inches form the holder. Attach the other type of bullet connector to this. If you are super paranoid (like me), crimp and solder the bullets on and wrap the lot in electrical tape. That’s the wiring done.

Making a template
My housemate has a Corsa, so I popped his repeater out (when he wasn’t looking), removed the lens and placed a piece of card over the hole in the wing. Using a sharp scalpel, I cut a hole in the card to match the hole in the wing. The hole is approx 45mm side to side, with the large slot being around 8mm high. Voila, one template.

Cutting the wing
I then lathered the Calibra wing in masking tape to avoid slips and spark damage. Placing the template over the original hole, I drew round the inside with a CD marking pen, transferring the shape onto the masking tape. Bear in mind that you will need to enlarge the hole slightly to compensate for drawing round the inside. Either follow the line of the wing for the horizontal alignment, or make it perfectly level depending on your taste.

Heart in mouth, I selected the cone shaped bit for the Dremel and started to enlarge the repeater hole to the lines drawn from the template. Taking my time, I nibbled bits away until the shape was correct for the circle and small notch. I then used the cutting disc to slice the large notch out, using the little round nibbler to remove this section. It was then a case of nibbling bits away until the new repeater lens clipped into place fairly easily. Do small sections at a time and let the metal cool inbetween, or the paint will bubble and blister away. Try not to Dremel through the string that is attached to the wires, or you are doomed.

Finishing off
Once the hole was of the right size and shape, I cleaned up the sharp edges using the Dremel to avoid cut fingers in the future. I then removed all the masking tape, retrieved the bullets on string from inside the wing and connected them to the new bulb holder. I connected the bulb holder to the repeater lens, and clipped the repeater into the wing. I then did a little dance, but that is optional.

All done! Oh yeah, don’t forget to reconnect the battery.

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