TBRays98

So I already restored the interior of my 85 with the 85 interior harness. When I did it i did not know there was a difference. Anyways since then i learned the 85 ecu is junk and i also dont want the 85 v-belt setup.

I've been searching hard but can not find a straight forward answer on what to do.

I plan on using the 87 ecu and engine harness.
What all is required to do to the c207 and c100 for this wiring to work properly?

TBRays98

http://berlinetta.info/media/shopman...00Camaro85.jpg
http://berlinetta.info/media/shopman...00Camaro87.jpg

I understand this park (except the backup lights)
The c207 part im still lost.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

Here's the info you'll need on the C207 A C221 Connectors:

http://berlinetta.info/C207.htm


They 85 and 87 harnesses are "similar" years but there is probably a couple wires that are out of place. Be sure to quickly compare the wire colors @ each terminal to the matching terminals on the oposite connector to spot any obvious color mis-matches. Then use the info on that webpage to double check that each of the remaining terminals will match-up properly.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

FYI: The 87' was still a "V" belt pulley system,.... it just used a ribbed alternator belt rather than a true V belt. Point is you still need a seperate belt to run each accessory.

In the 85 - 87 cars there are 4 harnesses under the hood. The ENGINE harness is (almost) completely independant of the ECM harness, and the headlight harness also seprates from the engine harness @ C100. The Heater harness passes thru the firewall.

Engine
ECM
Headlight
Heater

The Engine side has Power, gauge, and engine accessory wiring = C100
The ECM Side has all ECM and SMOG wiring = C207.

There shouldn't be many changes to the wiring connectors @ C100 and C207 (&221) from 85-to-87.

When dealing with the ECM harness,..... most engine side plugs should be fairly compatable with the sensors already mounted on the 85 engine already as well as any 85-88 MAF TPI parts.

But when dealing with the ENGINE harness from 85-87; many plugs @ the engine side of the harness WILL change. Distributor plugs are different, AC plugs might be different, Alternator Plug is different, ect.

Just keep in mind that you don't NEED to change the Engine side harness when dealing with 85 and 87 parts. If you install the 87 harness on your 85 then you will need to replace several of it's connectors, when you don't really need to. You WILL NEED the 87 ECM harness if you are swapping to the 87 ECM. ( unless your doing some very custom work by re-pinning the connectors !)

P.S. Back up light wire locations usually depend on if the harness is from a Auto tranny or manual tranny car ( and might depend on the type of engine as well. )

TBRays98

Wow thanks for the great information. I think first i need to clear up that there is no motor in the vehicle yet. To be honest I just dont know what to do at this point. I have the 85 body harness installed but i dont know what is a practical conversion for under the hood. I do not want to carb the motor so im just trying to figure out what to do about the ecu and engine harness.

Just like everyone else I hate playing electrician but this is a very important part of this restoration and i want to make sure that I do it right and pick the best available option w/o going over my head with electrical connections.

Thanks again for all the great info.
If you have a possible other suggestion i'd love to hear it.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

Not much to add,...

Since your engine options are still 'open' then just remember that your TPI harness is best suited for use with 87 Engine accessories ( distributor, alt, A/C, ect.) and brackets. If you use 86 earlier accessories ( or 88 later pulleys / brackets / accessories ) than some of the engine accessory plugs will need to be changed on the 87 TPI harness.

TBRays98

Ok 87 harness with new serp accessory connectors sounds like the best route ill do my best on figuring out all the different connections. Thanks for all your help.