Question about wiring TR harness into an El Camino

I need to buy a GN wiring harness for a swap into an 86 El Camino. I had a complete harness along with the TR fuse panel, but sold it a couple years ago thinking I would never find a car to put it in. As luck would have it, I have purchased an El Camino, and I will be lining up parts over the next few months and my question is to those of you who have done swaps into G-bodies, is it desirable to have a GN fuse panel along with the rest of the engine harness? Or, is it simple enough to use the existing fuse panel and wire in the additional connections required for a turbo hybrid?

call jay at JAYS GN PARTS he has one already built very nice even the interior is a GN

Thanks Charlie & Oscar. It's an affordable beater, but it's straight, (never hit or painted quarters) and no rust underneath on the frame rails ... a Florida car. I just purchased a TR engine harness yesterday on the board, so I'm just that far into procuring what I need, electrically. It will be a few months at the soonest that I will disable the El Camino and get into the changeover. I'm going to have to find a wiring guru locally. I'll arm myself with as much information as I can glean. I searched up this comment on here:

This may be the way to go, however is beyond my field of expertise, (and I don't want to learn ). Painting, mechanix, and the ability to make a "real" silk purse out of a sow's ear is enough to know, but a wiring/electronics guru like Julio who understands what is necessary to power may find this route feasible. In fact, I may see Julio tomorrow (ALKY CONTROL).


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looks pretty straight

and clean, should make a nice parts getter,
plus the sleeper effect.
post the progress!

Hey Lee, I sure will.

turboelky would be another to ask this question. I don't know how often he is on the board, haven't seen him post for a while. Maybe he's lurking

Well, thanks. I have a few months before I really get into this. I'm sure by then I'll have found someone locally to help me with the wiring. I know a couple guys locally who did hybrids ... one an 85 Cutlass and the other a Mustang. I just have to get in contact with them.

I'm no expert having never done this before, but in my case I elected to swap the TR dash into my El. In conjunction with the factory engine harness and ECM, in theory it will be plug and play although I might need to change some pinouts for the lights. I haven't got that far yet. I salvaged as much as I could from the donor vehicle. I have learned a few things. First, the El's wheelbase is longer, so TR fuel lines are too short. I heard that Classic Tube can bend up a set with the additional length added in. I personally cut mine, flared the ends and used high pressure fuel line between the sections with double clamps to make up the difference. Unless your El came with fuel injection, finding the sender for an in tank pump might be difficult. The tanks are easy enough to find but not the sender. I ultimately got one from Dixie Monte Carlo but it was really expensive. I swapped in a 8.5 rear too, so the driveshaft had to be shortened. I also got the frame motor mounts from the donor, I don't know of any other mounts that will work. The rest of it seems simple enough, and it bolts right in.

Well, for sure you're fortunate to have had a donor car, but as luck would have it, just today I found the answer to my wiring question posted here. I was finally able to contact a TR savvy friend of mine who had done a really clean and nice turbo V6 conversion to a G-body Cutlass. Of course, I wanted to ask him how he dealt with the wiring. He told me he had purchased a supplemental harness from John Spina (Casper's Electronics) a few years back at the GS Nationals. It tied in whatever else is needed to make the conversion complete. So, I just sent a PM to John earlier today, and I received his response describing exactly what I will need. See it here:

Specializing in automotive interconnect and wiring systems

Fortunately, the 86 Elky is a 4.3 V-6 and does have fuel injection, so therefore I have a sender to use. I agree with you, simply lengthening the lines using high pressure hose, or employing compression fittings will be no problem and the way to go. After all, stock TRs use a length of hose from the end of all three lines to the tank inlet nipples. I'm waiting on some parts, so I decided to get started and swap in an 8.5 rear into the el Camino tomorrow, and once installed, measure how much I need the driveshaft shortened. The car also came with a th2004r which saves me from making any other mods. I have Regal frame mounts I squirreled away some years back. So now, all I have to do is get going. Thanks for your helpful advice.

Sounds like you have all your ducks in a row. Post up as you go, I'd be interested to see how it goes. Too bad I don't have a firend like that, everything I've learned has been here so again, post up if you hit any snags. There is one thing I don't know if you are aware of about the electrical charging system. I have read that if there's no indicator light connected to the system that the alternator won't charge, but perhaps John's harness will correct that. Good luck.

Yes, I think John Spina's harness does correct that issue, although it's not hard to wire a bypass for it. I've reconsidered swapping the rear today because I remembered I have to have everything clear under the car, no engine, trans, or rear, or fuel tank, to swap out fuel lines. Did you change over completely to the GN configuration? I have used GN lines and I'm thinking I'll have to install them, but still researching this matter.

Unfortunately, there isn't more help here, but here's a picture file that may help both of us along the way. Some of the photos are posted here on TB, but I forget the user. Search wagons.

http://s229.photobucket.com/albums/ee177/turbo231/Malibu/?start=all

Hey John, you'll like that swap. All you need is the GN engine harness and part of the dash harness (or a generic mid 80's GM from the j/y) plus the ability to repin two connectors on the Elky. Keep all your factory interior along with as many of the factory senders as possible (to re-use on the GN engine). I have posted the two connector diagrams here before, but here they are again (these are for a '96 S-10, but GM didn't change much over these years)

Red, I did use the GN lines in the factory location. There was no drama associated with the install other than the already mentioned length issue. S10, maybe you didn't see it but I swapped in a T type dash. Thanks for posting the diagram just the same.

My point to John DiCarlo (Red) was that you can use any dash, you just need the GN engine harness. The top diagram shows what is needed for any make, model, vehicle to make the ALDL work.

Hey Russ, it's funny, while researching, I think just yesterday or the day before I saw this very diaghram, posted elsewhere by you, and I scrolled by and then back up to it and looked at it and wondered if it what I needed to know. Apparently it is. And now you post it here. I'll have to have some consultation with someone more wiring savvy than me to make heads or tails of it. So far, I can't connect the dots, but I will, and thanks for your help and suggestions.

Thanks for that. I'm thinking cutting the lines in half at some strategic location will make it easier to install these lines. Cut in half, let's say, means you only have to deal with a back half and a front half instead of one car length long one piece line. :smile:

So what if I don't know how to wire it? I'm pulling it apart anyway. It won't be any good until it's a Buick turbo V6 anyhow. So far I sanded the surface rust and painted those portions of the frame I prepped. I installed inner seat mounts for installation of Park Avenue seats. Unfortunately, it was originally a bench seat car so no center seat mounts. I'm really glad I had a donor out back. Over the last couple days I pulled the Engine, trans, and rear. I have removed the front bumper, header panel and passenger side fender and inner fender and removed the El Camino wiring harness. I have the gas tank out, and the next thing I'll do is work on installation of proper fuel lines for this transplant. I'll worry about the wiring thing ..........later!



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Very similar projects. I need to make more time to finish mine, perhaps this spring.

After looking more closely with an empty engine bay, it occurred to me I won't have to mess with the existing fuel lines at all. The feed and return are just on the passenger side of the El Camino instead of the driver side as on TRs. It will be much easier to just feed the engine fuel rail from the other side than mess with the already existing El Camino lines. Apparently, I didn't know how fortunate I was that the El was equipped with a 4.3 fuel injected V6 which incorporates feed and return fuel lines. The vent line is basically in the same location as on the TR. Photos below show how the feed and return lines are situated on the passenger side, and then, under the car, the filter location, and finally the fuel line manifold fastened basically over the rear-end the that goes to the gas tank. Any plumbing gurus with suggestions or comments would be most appreciated. :smile: