Thread: enigine swap

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i have a 92 chevy silverado that i want to put a LT1 out of an 95 firebird. this is what i am afraid of.
i have a buddy that took a 2000 firebird with a v6 and put an LS1 in it, this turn out to be a nightmare because of the cluster. For some reason they can't get any of the gauges to work. He has purchased after market wiring harness and still
no success. he also tried to rewire things himself but no luck as of yet. he is getting really frustrated about the whole thing. and all of the experimenting is exspensive

so that why i want to get all the info i need to before i start this thing. i do not want to go through what this poor guy is going through. i know it would be
easy if i would carb it, but where is the fun in that. i have the wiring harness,
computer and all the associated stuff. so if anyone have any advice, let me know. the shadow

The 'Birds gauges are computer controlled, I don't think the truck ones are.

I put a 95 Lt1 engine and 4L60E transmission from a Trans-Am in a 87 S-10. I used a 92 model S-10 blazer cluster because the 87 only had idiot lights and I wanted gauges. I had to re-pin the cluster harness plugs in the truck because they were a little different, but if my memory serves me right most of the sensor plugs were the same. Seems like there was a temp sensor for the PCM and one for the clusterand I believe the oil sending unit only went to cluster as well. I'd have to look at my schmatics, It's been a few years ago. I probably still have the wiring diagrams somewhere around here. I used the factory engine harness from the 95 LT1 and deleted the wires I didn't need. It really didn't take to many wires to make it run. Never had minutes trouble out it. Everything worked. The little truck ran 7.90's -8.0's all day long (1/8th mile) and got about 23-24mpg with a 3.42 gear. That's it in the middle. The 92 full size had a Tuned Port Injection set-up off a IROC Z-28 and the other was a stock 98 Z/28. Man I miss that little truck. Drove it everyday. Sure could hurt some people's feelings with it! I'll help if I can. Good Luck!

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I'm sure that Street & Performance in Mena, AR has a harness that will plug and play,thats what I had one of their intregrator harnesses in the '92 Silverado. Simple install worked great.

will i need after market wireing harness to tie into my original gauges or will i need after market gauges to0

I used the factory harness in the s-10. Pretty much all the plugs were the same for water temp, oil sending unit, etc. I'm not sure about the speedo. What tanny are you going to run 92 trucks had 700r4's and the 95 LT1 had 4L60E's if they were auto's. The 4L60's are computer controlled, shift points, converter lockup, etc. but the 700r4's the converter lockup is the only thing controlled by the computer. The harness I had from Street & Performance just plug up to my factory computer plugs but that was for a speed density set-up on a Tuned Port Injection. Mark or Tony at Street & Performance probably has all the answers though. There is also a fellow by the name of Phil White in Texas that can make a harness for about anything.

i was planning to use the engine and the tranny from the same car. i have the computer, wiring harness from the 95 as well.

do mr. white have an email address or something to get in touch with?

I think I have his number somewhere. If you've got the engine harness from the car you should be pretty much good to go. That's what I used. Do you also have the VATS module, key with the resistor, and key cylinder. If you don't the computer will not let the start, I believe it disables the injectors, ignition, and the stater solenoid. I believe you can reprogram the computer to get around this though. If you have a wiring diagram for both vehicles they will be very informative making the swap. I no I use the crap out of them. I'll try to find his number.

ok what is the vats module? no i dont have the key, let alone the cylinder. just had the car hauled away and crushed a few days ago.

so lets explore this reprograming the computer thing.

i hope i can rewire things as well as i think i can

If I remember the is VATS (vehicle anti-theft system) or something like that. The key cylinder in the column had two wires that go to the VATS module and check the resistance from the pill in the key and if the value is correct the module sends a signal ( I think that it is a 50 hertz signal ) to PCM allowing the car to start. The module should have been located under the dash somewhere. I didn't have one with my harness so I went and got the keys, key cylinder, and module from a salvaged car at the local yard. That way everything was from the same car. I'm trying to remember the best I can but it's been about ten years ago when I built the S-10. I haven't located that number yet, still looking. I'm sure you can get running, just take your time and study the wiring diagrams. After you start looking at them you'll see there really isn't all that many things that have to be connected to get it to run.

hey thanks for the advice. i will get some schematics and see what happends.
or see if that thing can be reprogramed. anyway if you have any more ideas
feel free to let me know. the less down time i have with this thing the sooner
i can have fun.