The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay TBI engine in a 53

Thinking about transplanting a 1990 TBI engine and overdrive automatic into a 53. I hve the complete 90 model pickup for a doaner. Could the wiring harness from the 90 model be thined down and used for the swap. As for the fuel system I'm planning on building a between the frame rails tank and adapting the gm pump to that tank. I'm kind of new to the fuel injected stuff but willing to learn.

I've done a couple of those conversions and it's a huge job. Be sure to get a factory service manual for the donor vehicle with a wiring diagram, and follow it to the letter as you install the harness. Some trouble spots will be the fuel pump relay system that incorporates an oil pressure switch and some relays, and the vehicle speed sensor at the back of the speedometer that allows the overdrive transmission to go into torque converter lockup at highway speeds. If you've got an electronic speedometer drive on the transmission instead of a cable-driven one, you'll need to adapt the speedo head from the donor to your vehicle. There are some supposedly simplified wiring harnesses available for these swaps, but they're ridiculously expensive. Anybody with an original harness, a wiring diagram, and an understanding of electrical wiring should be able to make it work.
Jerry

Thanks for the reply. I've done a couple of conversions useing complete late 70's and early 80's models harnesses useing the steering collum heater and airconditioning controls for older cars so I think I can handle that stuff. If any hookups are not used such as idiot lights, side marker lights can they just be taped off and left in limbo. I'm planing on useing brake headlight and tail light wireing.

I did a TPI in a '62. The speedo conversion from electronic to cable can be handled with an adapter, call Street and Performance. Try to keep all of the electrical stuff that is not engine related except for oil pressure and temperature gauge and alternator on the original wiring and switches. You will need a relay to run the TBI since you will quickly toast the original ignition switch. Simply use the coil wire from the igition switch to the swithced relay. Other than connecting a hot wire to the starter hot connection for the ECM in order to retain the ECM memory when you shut off the engine, all of the other harness connections ought to be good to go. You will need a high pressure fuel pump inside the tank and a return line from the fuel injection unit. This is not rocket science and all very do able.