Xanth's Interior Build

CincinnatiFiero · Post by **CincinnatiFiero** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:56 pm

What I love about your car is it is like a factory special edition type custom if that makes sense. It all looks so clean, nothing too wild, but you know the car needed to be better and you've made it that way. The vynil headliner and sun visors make a huge difference. I also liked what you did with your audio build, pontiac HU controlling modern high performance speakers.

Xanth · Post by **Xanth** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:53 pm

Thats a major part of my goal, I want to maintain a stock appearance just improved upon. I want it so anyone getting in wouldn't say "I like the custom interior" but "this is actually pretty nice inside."

Its a bit of a trick, but I want to get more modern amenities to fit while making sure it all looks as if it could have come that way from the factory.

The HVAC control is one of the things I want to change. The knob will have a lit indicator, and each function will light up green as its activated rather than just the button faintly glowing. The non-active functions will continue to glow the stock red. I may completely replace the unit, but am currently just planning on modifying it. A few more fan speeds would be nice as well.

Also, I want the headlight switch and window switches to light up. Not glow, but just the illuminated text/symbol.

I also plan on adding a soft red backlight to the Performance Sound slider. The overhead unit is currently controlling input to a RockFord Fostage amplifier, I have a build thread on that setup both on Old Europe and on my site.

The Dark Side of Will · Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:08 pm

Xanth wrote:The HVAC control is one of the things I want to change. The knob will have a lit indicator, and each function will light up green as its activated rather than just the button faintly glowing. The non-active functions will continue to glow the stock red. I may completely replace the unit, but am currently just planning on modifying it. A few more fan speeds would be nice as well.

Pontiac 6000 STE's (and maybe contemporary Cadillacs also) has a "push button" HVAC control that's a temp sensor away from being full climate control.

The temperature slider is really a pot that delivers a variable voltage to a stepper motor, which then moves to a point in its travel corresponding to the input voltage.

The air handling setup is operated by vacuum in the STE, but controlled via a push-button setup and solenoid valves, rather than directly with a vacuum valve. The pushbuttons have LED indicator lights that vary in color: green for A/C, yellow for vent, red for heater/defrost.

The fan uses a push button arrangement to increment up and down through four speeds. It has yellow LED's that indicate speed

Other manual HVAC cars use engine vacuum to operate the air handling doors, but Fiero air handling is already electric, so it might not be hard to adapt the STE HVAC panel.

Unsafe At Any Speed · Post by **Unsafe At Any Speed** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:24 pm

An easy 'modern' touch may be to add a homelink system to the driver's visor. I'm not sure if that's your style or not, but it is a current common GM item.

Xanth · Post by **Xanth** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 12:12 am

The Dark Side of Will wrote: Pontiac 6000 STE's (and maybe contemporary Cadillacs also) has a "push button" HVAC control that's a temp sensor away from being full climate control.

Is this the right controller?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-PONTI ... 7938280079

The Dark Side of Will · Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:13 am

Xanth wrote:
The Dark Side of Will wrote: Pontiac 6000 STE's (and maybe contemporary Cadillacs also) has a "push button" HVAC control that's a temp sensor away from being full climate control.
Is this the right controller?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-PONTI ... 7938280079

Looks like it. You'll also need the stepper motor that controls the temp door. The Fiero's is cable operated.
I have the STE wiring diagrams also.

CincinnatiFiero · Post by **CincinnatiFiero** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 10:18 am

OOO please post a lot if you try this, that is such a cool idea. (aka if it works I am totally copying you)

Xanth · Post by **Xanth** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 11:17 am

Trying to find the stepper motor right now, could have sworn I saw them yesterday.

CincinnatiFiero · Post by **CincinnatiFiero** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 11:37 am

Where is it in the car? I am going to the junkyard this week or this weekend. They had a few 6000s.

The Dark Side of Will · Sun Sep 28, 2008 12:37 pm

CincinnatiFiero wrote:Where is it in the car? I am going to the junkyard this week or this weekend. They had a few 6000s.

A) Of 6000's, it's only used in 6000 STE's, so don't even bother with SE or LE models. I'm not sure what other models in which it may be used.

B) It's above and behind the glove box. The quickest, easiest way to get it is to punch a hole in the dash board right above the glove box. You'll want to get the harness pigtail also, because the connector is old and difficult to find.

CincinnatiFiero · Post by **CincinnatiFiero** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:07 pm

Our scrapper has a red 6000STE is looked perfect when I first went there... now not so much

Xanth · Post by **Xanth** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:23 pm

Were these rare? I'm finding very little for the STE on ebay. They also had a steering wheel with radio controls I was looking into.

CincinnatiFiero · Post by **CincinnatiFiero** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:40 pm

Xanth wrote:Were these rare? I'm finding very little for the STE on ebay. They also had a steering wheel with radio controls I was looking into.

STE was the all wheel drive, they only made a couple thousand? Will probably knows the number dead on.

The Dark Side of Will · Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:12 pm

FWD STE's started in '84. '88 & '89 were AWD STE's. For '90 the 6000 STE died because the Grand Prix STE was introduced.

88 & 89 STE's could be identified by VIN, but the '90 AWD's could not. I've never heard solid numbers on '90 AWD production. Best guess is 2500 units total AWD production for those three years.

That panel MAY have been used in Caddy's/Buicks, but I don't know for sure. A lot of the other STE systems like load levelling rear suspension were borrowed from higher end cars.

Xanth · Post by **Xanth** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:25 pm

Finding this unit is proving difficult enough I've decided to mod a stock unit, which is plentiful. I don't want to stick myself with something that will be very difficult to replace.

Looking around now for some bi/tri color leds, would really like to find the flat ones but all the ones I'm seeing are round.

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:49 pm

What about the climate control unit on the Cutlass Supreme and possibly other W-bodies? It looks like it would fit directly in place of the Fiero one. I'm going to try to hunt one down.

lucky · Post by **lucky** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:16 pm

I dunno what the size limitations you're working with are, but I know Radio Shack has/had LED's that were flat on at least one side. Dunno about Bi/tri color ones though.

lucky · Post by **lucky** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 6:40 pm

Found the part #'s for the recycled fiber insulation in the back of a JCW catalog. Posting them in the parts/materials library.

Xanth · Post by **Xanth** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:38 pm

Do you still have that HVAC controller to sell lucky? I could actually use it if so.

lucky · Post by **lucky** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:18 am

Ya, I'll get you a pic shortly.