Grease and apply red threadlocker
- Apply grease to the smooth body of the shoulder bolt.
- Apply red threadlocker to the shoulder-bolt threads.
- Apply grease to the lower contact surface of the shock end.
Cadillac CTS Coupe Vertical Door Kit Installation
Start here: This guide explains how to install Vertical Doors, Inc. Coupe kit VDCCADCTSV0814 on a 2011-2014 Cadillac CTS Coupe or 2011-2015 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. It combines the official 12-page VDI manual, confirmed Coupe fitment, a complete customer installation video, component and tool lists, wiring and alignment requirements, warranty-critical shock preparation, inner-fender clearance work, final checks, and VDI support.
Confirm before installation
Cadillac CTS Coupe fitment and kit details
- CTS Coupe
- 2011-2014
- CTS-V Coupe
- 2011-2015
- VDI part number
- VDCCADCTSV0814
- Body style
- Two-door Coupe only
- Doors converted
- Two factory front doors
- Mounting
- Vehicle-specific hinges using the factory front-door hinge bolt pattern
View the VDCCADCTSV0814 product page | Download the official Cadillac CTS instructions (PDF)
Do not install the four-door Sedan kit on a Coupe. The 2008-2013 CTS Sedan uses separate kit VDCCADCTS0810. The hinge assemblies and body-style fitment are not interchangeable.
Why use this page?
Use this page to confirm Coupe kit fitment, review the components and tools named in the VDI manual, watch a complete customer installation, understand the 14-step sequence, complete the warranty-critical shock work, protect the wiring, and find installation support. The official PDF supplied with the kit remains the controlling source for photographs, component locations, adjustments, and clearance details.
Before installing VDCCADCTSV0814
This is an advanced automotive modification. The VDI manual includes battery disconnection, door-check removal, bumper, headlight, fender, door-panel and speaker removal, wiring rerouting, door support and alignment, hinge and shock work, wire-boot modification, inner-fender trimming, and repeated clearance checks. Use a qualified installer if you are not experienced with these procedures.
- Confirm the vehicle is a supported Cadillac CTS Coupe or CTS-V Coupe and the part number is VDCCADCTSV0814.
- Do not use Sedan kit VDCCADCTS0810 on the Coupe.
- Read the complete 12-page VDI PDF before removing any vehicle component.
- Watch the complete customer installation video as a visual companion to the manual.
- Work on a clean, level, well-lit surface and protect the bumper, headlight, fender, door, glass, trim, wheel, and interior.
- Follow the correct Cadillac service procedure for battery disconnection and factory-component removal.
- Have an experienced helper support the door during hinge, alignment, and shock work.
- Photograph, mark, and measure the original upper and lower door gaps, door-to-body distance, and latch-to-striker relationship.
- Organize removed fasteners, clips, and connectors by panel and location.
Cadillac CTS Coupe installation video
Mareno The Car Guy completed this installation and documented the full project. Use the video to see the work in context, then follow the official VDI PDF for the exact component, adjustment, and hardware details.
Mareno The Car Guy: complete CTS Coupe installation
Customer credit: Installation, video, and completed-build photos by Mareno The Car Guy. Runtime: approximately 1 hour 25 minutes.
Watch the complete Cadillac CTS Coupe installation on YouTube
Customer Cadillac CTS Coupe gallery
These customer-supplied photos show Mareno's completed CTS Coupe conversion. They document the finished appearance, not the installation procedure.
Gallery photos courtesy of Mareno The Car Guy.
Components listed in the Cadillac CTS manual
Before beginning, compare the supplied components with page 2 of the official manual and the contents of the genuine kit. Contact Vertical Doors, Inc. if anything is missing or does not match.
Important: Kit contents, hardware, and installation procedures may change as the product is updated. Always use the instructions supplied with your exact kit. If they differ from the December 2018 PDF or an older video, follow the packaged instructions and contact VDI before continuing if anything is unclear.
- One right and one left VDI hinge assembly
- Two gas shocks
- Two shoulder bolts
- Two retaining pins
- Eight M8-1.25 x 30 mm bolts with washers
- Eight M8-1.25 x 40 mm bolts with washers
Tools and materials listed for installation
Tools
- Air ratchet, grinder, and cutter
- 10 mm, 11 mm, 13 mm, 14 mm, and 15 mm sockets with extensions
- Panel-removal fork and Phillips screwdriver
- 3/16-inch Allen wrench
- 1/4-inch Torx bit
- 9/16-inch wrench
- Protected spacers and supports for maintaining the factory door position
Protection and installation materials
- Painter's tape for protecting edges, marking the door position, and securing the closed door
- Electrical tape, zip ties, and protective aftermarket wire loom
- Red threadlocker
- Grease for the shoulder bolt, shock-end contact surface, swing-arm contact points, and zerk fittings
- Protective trim for the finished inner-fender edge
The manual states that additional tools may be needed depending on the vehicle. Use an experienced installer who is comfortable with automotive panels, electrical connectors, door alignment, grinding, trimming, and threadlocked fasteners.
Cadillac CTS Coupe installation instructions
This crawlable overview follows the sequence in the official 12-page Cadillac CTS 2008-14 VDI manual created in December 2018. The manual notes that its photographs are reference images and may not match every vehicle. Use the PDF photographs and diagrams to identify the exact fasteners, retainers, wiring route, adjustment points, shock connections, and fender cut line.
1. Disconnect the battery
Complete the correct Cadillac battery-disconnection procedure before removing trim, releasing electrical connectors, or working around the door harness.
2. Release the factory door check
Open the door completely and remove the fasteners securing the factory door check. The manual completes removal after the interior door panel and speaker have been removed.
3. Remove the bumper, headlight, and front fender
Remove the wheel-well fasteners and release the first three side-skirt fasteners to reach the two lower 10 mm fender bolts. Open the door and remove the upper 10 mm bolt between the door and windshield pillar. Use an extension to reach the 10 mm fastener near the factory hinges.
At the front, remove the illustrated 10 mm bolt and loosen the two 10 mm nuts. Pull the bumper forward and down to expose the fender-to-body fasteners and headlight attachment. Remove the bumper clips and headlight fastener identified in the PDF, then remove the headlight and carefully lift off the fender. Protect every painted edge.
4. Remove the interior door panel, speaker, and door check
Remove the trim covers and fasteners securing the door panel. Use the panel tool carefully at the control panel and disconnect the associated harnesses. Disconnect the lower door light before pulling the panel away. Remove the speaker, then remove the released door check from inside the door.
5. Obtain and protect the required wiring slack
Pull back the door cover and remove the two plastic clips identified in the manual. Release the wire hold-down and cut only the factory harness tape or loom shown in the PDF; do not cut the electrical wires. Release the upper door-panel harness retainers, move the available wire toward the required route, and secure the relocated harness with zip ties and electrical tape.
Reconnect every loose harness before reinstalling the door panel. The wiring must not be stretched, pinched, exposed to a sharp edge, or routed through the moving hinge.
6. Mark and secure the factory door position
Close the door and secure it to the body with painter's tape. Mark the horizontal and vertical position, then measure how far the upper and lower front edge of the door sits from the adjacent body apron. Photograph the panel gaps and latch-to-striker relationship.
After removing the four factory hinge bolts, insert protected spacers to preserve the original door gap. Keep the door supported with appropriate stands, tape, and an experienced helper.
7. Install the correct VDI hinge assembly
Position the right- or left-side VDCCADCTSV0814 hinge so it sits flat against the apron and aligns with the factory mounting points. The manual instructs installers to tighten the door-side bolts before the apron-side bolts. Use the supplied hardware only in its specified location.
8. Restore the horizontal door alignment
Release adjustment nut #1, then turn Allen set screw #2 until it contacts the stop block. Open and close the door while adjusting until the latch meets the striker correctly and the recorded factory gaps are restored. The door must close without lifting, dropping, slamming, or forcing it.
Leave nut #1 loose until after shock installation because set screw #2 may require fine adjustment once the shock is installed.
Important installation and warranty step
9. Prepare and protect the VDI gas shocks
Do not skip these steps. Page 9 of the manual states that failure to complete the specified lubrication and threadlocker work voids applicable warranty coverage and may cause future problems.
Protect the shock body and shaft
Warranty warning: Do not grip the shock body or shaft with pliers. Do not scratch, paint, coat, heat, drill, puncture, or place foreign material on the shock body or shaft.
10. Install the gas shock with the door supported
Have a helper raise and fully support the door. Slip the spherical rod mount into the spherical bearing identified as position #1 in the manual. Use the specified 1/4-inch Allen fastener at swing-arm position #2, then secure the lower shock end with the retaining pin at position #3. Never rely on a loose or partially installed shock to support the door.
11. Set the vertical opening and lubricate the hinge
Adjust opening set screw #3 clockwise until the clearance between the nub and swing arm allows the arm to move vertically without binding. Fine-tune set screw #2 so the door returns to the striker correctly. Cycle the door outward, upward, downward, and closed several times while checking alignment and clearance.
Add grease to the swing-arm contact points and every zerk fitting identified by VDI. Do not reinstall the fender until the door adjustment is accurate, the set screw is secure, all hardware is tight, and every specified threadlocker step is complete.
12. Modify and protect the final wiring path
After obtaining the required slack, cut the factory rubber wire boot in half only at the location shown in the manual. Cut the boot, not the wires. Add protective aftermarket wire loom over the exposed harness and secure the final route. Confirm full outward and vertical movement without stretching, pinching, abrasion, or hinge contact.
13. Trim the hidden inner-fender lip
Trim the inner fender lip along the reference line shown on page 12 so the VDI hinge can move freely. The manual directs the installer to leave approximately 1/8 inch of the inner lip, but the required opening can vary by vehicle. Remove only the material needed for unrestricted movement, grind every sharp edge smooth, and finish the edge with protective trim.
14. Reassemble and repeat on the opposite side
Close the door and reinstall the fender, headlight, bumper, and other removed components by reversing the removal procedure. Confirm that no wire is trapped or pinched. Complete the same controlled process on the second door and adjust each side independently.
Final operation and safety checks
- Each door opens outward to the VDI stop before it is raised.
- The latch meets the striker without slamming, lifting, dropping, or forcing the door.
- The closed-door position and panel gaps match the recorded factory alignment.
- The hinge, shock, wiring, door, fender, headlight, bumper, and trim remain clear through full travel.
- No wire is stretched, pinched, exposed to a sharp edge, or routed through a moving joint.
- All specified hardware, adjustment nuts, set screws, retaining pins, clips, and electrical connectors are secure.
- Every specified shoulder-bolt surface, shock-end contact surface, swing-arm contact point, and zerk fitting is lubricated.
- Windows, locks, interior and exterior releases, mirrors, speakers, lights, and door controls work normally.
- Both doors have been cycled repeatedly before the vehicle is driven.
Official Cadillac CTS PDF instructions
The official 12-page manual is labeled Cadillac CTS 2008-14 and was created in December 2018. The manual states that its photographs are for reference and may not match every vehicle. Current Coupe product fitment is narrower: 2011-2014 CTS Coupe and 2011-2015 CTS-V Coupe using VDCCADCTSV0814.
Download the official Cadillac CTS instructions (PDF)
Always compare the PDF with the instructions packaged with the exact kit. If the hardware, vehicle, or procedure differs, stop and contact VDI technical support before continuing.
Cadillac CTS Coupe installation FAQ
Which Cadillac CTS Coupe years use VDCCADCTSV0814?
Current VDI fitment lists the standard Cadillac CTS Coupe for 2011-2014 and the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe for 2011-2015. Confirm the body style, model year, and part number before ordering or installing.
Does the VDI conversion replace the factory Cadillac doors?
No. VDCCADCTSV0814 retains the two factory doors and replaces the factory hinge assemblies with vehicle-specific VDI hinges.
Can the Coupe and Sedan kits be interchanged?
No. Coupe kit VDCCADCTSV0814 and four-door Sedan kit VDCCADCTS0810 use different hinge assemblies for different body styles. Select the kit by body style, supported model year, and part number.
Why does the PDF say Cadillac CTS 2008-14?
The 2018 manual uses a broad CTS 2008-14 label and states that its photographs are reference images. Current VDI product details define the applicable Coupe fitment more precisely. Use the current product listing and instructions packaged with the exact kit when sources differ.
Why must the factory door position be marked?
The marks, measurements, and photographs provide the baseline for restoring the original door gaps and striker relationship after the factory hinges are loosened.
Do I cut the factory wires?
No. The manual directs the installer to release harness tape and retainers for slack, then cut the rubber wire boot and add protective loom. Do not cut the electrical wires.
Is inner-fender trimming required?
Yes. The VDI manual requires trimming the hidden inner-fender lip to provide clearance for the moving hinge. The exact opening can vary, so remove only the material required and verify full door travel before reassembly.
Can the customer video replace the official VDI manual?
No. Use the video as a visual companion. The supplied VDI instructions control the hardware, component, shock, adjustment, and clearance details.
Can I install VDCCADCTSV0814 myself?
An experienced installer may perform the work, but the procedure requires removing major exterior and interior components, managing wiring, supporting and aligning heavy doors, installing high-pressure gas shocks, grinding, trimming, and performing precise clearance checks. Use a qualified professional if any part is outside your experience or equipment.
Installation help and related links
Before contacting VDI, have the Cadillac model year, CTS or CTS-V designation, Coupe body style, part number VDCCADCTSV0814, proof of purchase, and clear photos or video of the concern ready.