What are you guys doing about the computer removal and associated pigtails? I am putting in a carb’d stroker. The 86 had the carb’d 305 with knock sensors, electric advance, all the stuff I don’t plan to use,

can I remove the computer without affecting other stuff? Speedo is mechanical.

I have been thinking about cutting the pigtails, taping them off and hiding it under convoluted tubing.

I still wish to use idiot lights for oil, temp, and fan. I will run gages for oil and temp as well. I plan to use the factory tach as well. I look at the schematics and see whats going where. I do appreciate any heads up.

 

Pretty sure the gauges are separate from the engine control harness, even on the fuel injected models.

 

DON'T cut ANYTHING. Completely unnecessary to be a HACK.

The entire computer package is one giant harness; comes in from the right fender well. There's a thing that mounts on the side of the windshield cowl, about at the top of the pass side kick panel, that brings it through into the cabin and seals up the hole. On the inside, there's a kind of C or U shaped retainer, that slides off sideways, along the flat sheet metal; with that gone, the ENTIRE harness just lifts out. Then you can just spooge in a piece of sheet metal with some windshield butyl or something like that.

Put your harness, your ECM, your sensors and all the other parts you take off, in a box UNDAMAGED and UNMOESTED. Don't make your swap irreversible. You never know when you might need them. Who knows, might be like me, when I got a job in California, and had to put it all back on... which would have been IMPOSSIBLE if I hadn't done exactly what I just told you to do.

 

O have thought about this. I did not realize the two were separate harnesses. Definitely the way to go. This car is a little hard to put it all back though. Thanks!

 

You didn't say if your car is manual shift or automatic , if it has an automatic transmission you will loose the torque converter lockup function without the ECM . There are workarounds for this , but I figured it deserved mention under the heading of "other stuff" ....

 

Very good point ^^^

 

I am doing a T56 swap from auto. I already had that one figured out before I asked. I appreciate the thoroughness.

 

I have the harness removed form the computer and the entire thing on the passenger side of the car. Just need to look at the GM shop manual to see where its might be tethered. Any insight would be great.

To clarify, on the kick panel side all is loose. On the engine side I removed the c-clip to strut tower. The harness moved maybe and inch. It fastened somewhere in the fender.

 

I found this description somewhere on the Internet. Thought it might be helpful.

Take off the pass side hush panel; look at the ECM; follow the harness away from it; leads you right to it.

 

Its out. Thanks again.