I am going to swap v6 to non computer v8. I am going to use a crate motor.
I need to know if I am going to lose all the gauges, does the computer still need to remain for the brakes?

 

tach goes on the coil ground. Leave your accessory wiring harness alone (headlights, heater blower, etc...). Oil pressure sending unit wire to the oil pressure sending unit. Speedo goes on the transmission, you will need to buy aftermarket thing for that if your gettting rid of the ECM. Battery voltage stays where it is. Fuel is fine, temperature I dont remember.

 

I done 4 v6 to carbed v-8 swaps (2 1984 camaros, 1988 camaro, 1982 firebird)

ALOT of the wiring can go. I cut out 9 lbs of un needed wiring in the engine bay of my 88 camaro.

Get a haynes repair book on your car, in the back it has all the wiring drawings.

The wires you need to keep from the main harness is the ...
Starter (2-3 wires)
Alt. (2-3 wires)
heater wires..
headlight wiring
horn wires
wiper motor wiring

If your gonna keep your stock gauges...
oil psi sender wire
water temp sender wire
tach sender wire (goes to - side of coil) (but a v6 tach will be way off on a v8 engine anyway)
speedo depens on year, if yours is elec or cable driven.

I run my own dist. power wire. I dont trust old under gauged wire, so I run a 14 ga. wire from the dist/coil + to the fush box. Hook it to a keyed 12 volt spot in the box.
To do that I crimp on terms. on the end of the wire, a female on the dist. side and a female or male depening on where I pull it on the fuse box on the other end.

The computer has nothing to do with the brakes. I'm not real good with the whole computer stuff but I think the older ECU's in our cars are just that (engine controll units) They are just for the engine and nothing other...

 

awesome. couldnt you just go ahead and cut all the wires that go to the ecm ? cause they will be useless, correct? im at the wiring and engine bay stage of my swap and this wiring seems like cake when compared to some imports ive worked on... but then again, its my first time also, veteran help is always needed/ appreciated

 

Why cut them? You can remove them all in one piece.

Oh, nevermind. Nobody ever wishes they would have saved something they chopped up.

 

eh, im never gonna re-wire my car back to crappy TBI any way, plus its easier for me to recognize what i dont need buy cutting and removing it. if i ever did need a tbi wiring harness again, i could buy on for like 5 bucks cause they are a dime a dozen around here

 

As has been discussed many times on this and the Tech/General Engine forum, the wires you will need can easily be separated from those you don't so that the entire harness you don't need can be removed in one piece.

There's just something about hacking things up that goes against my grain. It has also gotten people into places they wished they weren't as they got down the road. It might be justifiable if you're building a purpose car like a racer, but for a street car you'd better fully understand where you're going before you blow up bridges behind you. Prices tend to go up when something like emissions inpection comes to an area.

Of course, none of these things will apply to you. They always only affect the "other guy".

 

eh, i got ways around emission tests, thats the lest of my worry's i just want to make sure i correctly wire everything so that when i try to turn the ignition on, it works lol