Im pondering upon switching out my stock 305 4bbl w/a 383 stroker. Quesion is, IF i do, can i scrap the stock harness and just run a simple-plane jane setup??? i plan on running a carb, pry a 750dp somewhere down the line... am i gonna have speedo problems, tach problems??? as of right now i've added a 3 pod aftermarked manual gage kit, (oil press., water temp, and volts) due to the failure of the factory oil and water gages..... the thought HAS crossed my mind to replace ALL of the factory gages w/aftermarket, but im a little skeptical because i dont wanna "F" anything up.......or is that going to be just as difficult as dealing w/no harness and factory gages?
idk how many horses it has nor torque. but i DO know that it'd get a '78 3/4 ton chevy 4x4 truck w/a 1200lb flat bed on it rollin...failry well at that.... i was also wondering if a BOP TH400 would mate up to it and if i'd have problems w/the torque arm/crossmember........
reason i ask about the BOP 400 is that i have one and i dont want to spend the money on another....
i'm on a somewhat short budget, the motor is gonna cost me 500, the trans is free and i can get a possibly 9bolt rear end from an 87 formula for nothing as well! anybody that has any insights/experience w/any of this; Please, help me out. Thanks

You can go to an old-school, plain-jane carb/ignition, but you can't do it until you have an old-school, plain-jane carb and distributor to put on. The computer-controlled system will run a 383, though (see magazine articles linked on thirdgen.org homepage). No speedo or tach problems with computer control delete.

The BOP tranny won't fit on a SBC w/o an adapter plate unless the tranny is dual pattern (and I frankly don't know if they did any dual pattern TH400's). You will have problems with the torque arm, the simpliest solution is the Spohn crossmember/torque arm for TH400. More money, but money well spent.

Could you find me maybe a link for either of the two??? i cant seem to find anything on their website. maybe im blind....lol

http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1313

Product Catalog, 1982-1992, Chassis

Thanks, as it turns out i AM blind in one eye and to make it better i cant see outta the other so there ya have it....lol

Must be that hawk-eye...

You're welcome.

I made the 305 4bbl to 383 swap a few years ago. Its not too difficult, just a bit time consuming to figure out what to do with all the extra wiring once you get rid of the qjet and computer.
I've also swapped out all the stock gauges for Autometer Ultralite gauges. Its not very difficult but can be time consuming. You can checkout my website for pics to get some ideas. Feel free to send me a pm or email if you have any questions.

thanks, i might hit you up for some info once the project gets a little closer.

Don't pull the harness. Leave everything in tact when you swap to the 383. You can go with whatever carb, intake and cam that you want.... but leave the ECM in their to control it's timing (just have someone burn a chip, and the SES light will stay off)...

The computer never really did have that much say... as far as air & fuel metering when it came to the CC-quadrajet's (although it 'thought' that it did). But I would definitely take advantage of the ECM's electronic timing.

Exactly.

As long as you don't go too big on the cam, the ECM can supply up to 500hp with proper tuning.