Mudbug1979
1/2 ton status
I have an 85 K20 Sub and found an 87 c1500. Can I take the TBI engine harness and coresponding parts off of this vehicle and install it on my 85. Thanks for your time.
CK5
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TBI wiring harness from 87 to 85 model
- Thread starter Mudbug1979
- Start date
yes
Can you be a little more specific? You can certainly do it, you just have to aquire everything off of the donor to make it all work. Pull all the looms, computer, sensors, tbi, distributor, and thats about all I can think of right now. Theres some more stuff Im sure, keep this thread alive and some specific questions and Ill be glad to help. There really not very complicated systems, I would just suggest you do lots of reading and searching and asking more questions and go for it.
greywolf
1/2 ton status
you could put this in the fuel injection section too
Mudbug1979
1/2 ton status
harness
Yes, I will anwser what ever questions you may have. The one I currently own is an 85 stock 3\4 ton 4wd sub and the donor would be an 87 2wd 1/2 ton. Both have 350's, 700r4's, but the 85 is carb'd with out the thermo quad, so it doesn't have the provision in the firewall I believe for where the ecm would go. I can get fuel tank, lines, what ever off of this vehicle. I know when doing an aftermarket kit on a OD tranny you have to have a VSS. I believe I have read somewhere that on the TBI factory vehicles it was located in the gauge cluster on the speedo I think. Not really sure if this will work but if it does, I can buy this whole burb for less than an aftermarket hitch will cost and I can you alot of other parts off of it. Thanks for your time.
Yes, I will anwser what ever questions you may have. The one I currently own is an 85 stock 3\4 ton 4wd sub and the donor would be an 87 2wd 1/2 ton. Both have 350's, 700r4's, but the 85 is carb'd with out the thermo quad, so it doesn't have the provision in the firewall I believe for where the ecm would go. I can get fuel tank, lines, what ever off of this vehicle. I know when doing an aftermarket kit on a OD tranny you have to have a VSS. I believe I have read somewhere that on the TBI factory vehicles it was located in the gauge cluster on the speedo I think. Not really sure if this will work but if it does, I can buy this whole burb for less than an aftermarket hitch will cost and I can you alot of other parts off of it. Thanks for your time.
'87 and '85 speedometer/VSS setups are the same, so no worries there.
My cab is an '85, (or was it '86 lol) but diesel, and when I put injection in, I simply opened up the rubber grommet for the heater wires, and ran the injection wires through there.
The mounting "tabs" for the ECM were also on the truck, even though being a diesel, it didn't have an ECM. There is one or two triangular brackets tack welded to the underside of the dash metal piece, above the glovebox. The plastic ECM holder bolts to those. If your truck has those, your install will be even easier.
My cab is an '85, (or was it '86 lol) but diesel, and when I put injection in, I simply opened up the rubber grommet for the heater wires, and ran the injection wires through there.
The mounting "tabs" for the ECM were also on the truck, even though being a diesel, it didn't have an ECM. There is one or two triangular brackets tack welded to the underside of the dash metal piece, above the glovebox. The plastic ECM holder bolts to those. If your truck has those, your install will be even easier.
Mudbug1979
1/2 ton status
harness
Ok, so I need the engine harness side of the fuse box, but should I go ahead and get the inside also? Not sure why i would need it but hey, it never hurts to ask. Thanks.
Ok, so I need the engine harness side of the fuse box, but should I go ahead and get the inside also? Not sure why i would need it but hey, it never hurts to ask. Thanks.
I'd get the inside as well if it's available and you want it "right".
Either you get the entire harness, or you end up splicing in a fair number of wires. It's fairly hard to swap the entire harness in, (just because of wire routing, etc) but cleaner and certainly easier compared with tracking down wiring diagrams, soldering, inline fuses, etc.
Either you get the entire harness, or you end up splicing in a fair number of wires. It's fairly hard to swap the entire harness in, (just because of wire routing, etc) but cleaner and certainly easier compared with tracking down wiring diagrams, soldering, inline fuses, etc.
I took the easy route and bought a prewired harness from turbo city. Everything is already wired into the harness, fuses, relay, and it has a simple 4 wire hookup. 1. constant hot 2. switched ignition hot 3. ground 4. cranking wire. I bought it because I was a little nervous about trying to adapt the harness into my truck and make it look clean. I guess I took the easy way out but atleast all the connectors are new and I know the harness is in good shape and ready to go.
Mudbug1979
1/2 ton status
When I built my K5, I used a Painless harness on it and it worked all nice and neat but in this case I can buy this whole suburban for less that a new harness with vss signal is going to cost me. I'm looking at the cheapest harness is going to be around $400.00, that's 250.00 for harness and 150.00 for the vss stuff then the shipping. I can buy the whole burb for less than that and use other stuff off of it for the one I have now. So, if I could just unplug the engine harness from the 87 and put it into my 85 would be great but I think there would be a few missing wires on the inside part of the fuse panel. I really don't think it would be worth my time and effort to go through all of that hassel. Anyone else have any input.
desertrat67
Hawk Driver
I did this with an 84 I had. I took the whole harness from my 88 crewcab(incab and engine side) and tranfered it from one to the other. I had to cut a single hole just left of the centerline on the firewall(towards the passenger side left side) for the wiring that went to the ECM. There was already a raised point there that was the same as the one on the crew cab. All else was pretty straight forward.
Big91RustyBucket
1/2 ton status
I did it on Timmay's truck for him , when we were friend's last summer.
Pulled Everything out of a 87 R30 , and Put everything in his truck.
I pulled the entire wiring piece by piece, and did the same to install it.
It was time consuming and tedious, but when you take your time , and do it right eveything is just like if it was stock. I used the cluster , and everything.
Good luck , it can and has been done.
Pulled Everything out of a 87 R30 , and Put everything in his truck.
I pulled the entire wiring piece by piece, and did the same to install it.
It was time consuming and tedious, but when you take your time , and do it right eveything is just like if it was stock. I used the cluster , and everything.
Good luck , it can and has been done.
