Ok so me and a buddy are doing a 1996 300 i6 efi with a manual 5 speed to 1989 460 v8 carbed with a auto c6 swap. The larger motor will be going in a flawless f150 that simply is lacking the power. I have a complete and running 1989 f250 with the 460 that will be the donor vehicle for basically most our needs. I know it will be difficult but I have done massive amounts of research on this website and others. I am expecting there to be plenty of stumbling blocks but we are hell bent on gettin her done! I have a general list of the things that will be needed and I certain there we be more as we go along:

Motor (carbed 4 barrel 460)
Tranny (c6 auto)
Motor mounts
Fuel pump
Oil filter relocation
All the wiring/wiring harness
Computer Steering column (because of manual to auto)
Tranny dog house (because of hole in floor) Exhaust/headers
Driveshaft?
Bigger radiator
New starter
Larger front springs
Also I am only wanting 2x4 as this is headed towards a Prerunner truck
Mental prep for lower mpg haha

Fabrication for anything is no problem and I'm not too worried about the mechanical side of things.
However to sum it all up, my question is this: Very few of the swaps I have seen online go over the electrical aspect. How difficult is it going to be to swap the computer and wiring harness from the 89 to the 96? Will some of the items be the same plugs (considering similar age trucks) or should I be prepared to be cuttin a whole lotta wires and rewiring?
I know this place is a wealth of knowledge and most of you have experience far beyond my years. And so I would love your input on the easiest way to go about doing this. Thanks! Henry

 

Yes you will need a new driveshaft. Will also need the automatic pedal assembly.

My main concern would be that the 96 is OBDII - but I will let others with more experience chime in as to what pitfalls that might produce.

 

You're going to have to figure out the shift linkage - that's a stumbling block unless you can figure out cable shift for the C6.
Electrically speaking, it sounds like a nightmare.
If you can get the old speedo to fit in the 96 cluster you could swap out a lot of the wiring, but you might have to go for a stand alone engine control system.
But the C6 doesn't have the electronics to work with the 96 PCM or speedo.
You may have to swap everything from the 89, wiring harnesses, column, pedals, linkage, maybe even the dash.
It's certainly possible, but I don't think you can make the 96 electronics work without buying some real specialty stuff.

 

Ok that makes a lot of sense. If I were to be so lucky as to find a 92-95 dash/electrical, wouldn't that solve at least some of the issues as it wouldn't have the obd2 and would still be the same style as the 96?

 

Also there is a company that is called L and L that supposedly makes a conversion kit for my 6 truck. Here is the link: http://www.landlproducts.com/details...=0&ItemID=1159

The way they do it seems to be leaving all the original components of the 96 besides the actual motor itself. From there is assume you would have to somehow reprogram for a v8 and that'd be about it. However the price is insane lol

Any thoughts? I'm sort of brainstorming out loud haha

 

In NC, if your vehicle is 96 or higher and you're in an emissions county, you have to pass an OBDII scan each year for inspection.

With this being said, you might want to pause and take a look at your inspection laws first if you haven't already done so.

If this is the case, you might have to find a '96 F250 with the 7.5L to get something to work. You might be able to get a '96 5.0 or 5.8 wiring to work, but you'd still need a FI intake.

I'm openly speculating here, but that '96 year model is a doozy.

Oh and isn't the 460/7.5L a flat tappet cam? Are you looking to add an aftermarket flat tappet cam? If so, explore your options in motor oil very carefully and use diesel oils.

 

Well I happen to live in Indiana which doesnt have emissions checks other than in two counties. I happen to be in one that does not thankfully. Will do on the oil tho!

 

Thing is, I think you will need a sensor input from your trans, which the C6 doesn't have.
There's a way to make everything work, it would just be way simpler if you took all the wiring for the truck and swapped it over with the motor. And get rid of the electronic speedo.
It sounds like a lot of work to completely change all the wiring harnesses over, but I'm betting that it would really simplify the whole swap. And it isn't really that much work to swap the harnesses. That would get rid of 75% of the problems right there.

 

That's makes sense! Thanks!

 

I ran into a few of those issues when I began my conversion. I originally had a '91 F150 5.0L E4OD in which I swapped a '93 E350 7.5L E4OD into. Well, my 13 yr old daughter totaled that one (long story). That swap wasnt too bad. I used the original 5.0 harness on the 7.5 for ease of installation - the 8th gen trucks had several round in-line engine harness to under hood (PCM) harness connectors (drivers fender) as opposed to the single square one on the 9th gen. Also different bulk head (firewall) connectors between the two gens and with the addition of a power distribution box on the 9th gen.
Then I swapped the 460 E4OD into a '94 Flareside that originally had the 4.9 E4OD. I found a 9th gen 5.0L engine harness to use for ease of installation. Later I converted to EECV due to driveability concerns after engine mods - I located on Craigslist a salvaged '97 F250 460 Cali emissions 460 (96 & 97 F250 460 EECV with Cali emissions were the only 2 years that the 460 had MAF & sequential injection - also '96 E250 & 350's). I had shipped the PCM, induction, engine & under hood (PCM) harness. Later, I had to go to my local pull a part and grab a '96 F150 trans & dash harness to finish the swap.
I do have the L&L oil filter relocation and engine mounts/perches. I don't have the L&L long tubes because I scored a set of Doug Thorley tri-y's at my pull a part.
With you having a '96 makes things a little more difficult and parts harder to come by. The '96 PCM is a 104 pin as opposed to the 60 pin in the '89. You can retain the PSOM speedo as it uses the rear axle ABS sensor. However, I wouldn't use the '89 harnesses due to different style in-line connectors and bulk head connectors. And the '96 had remote TFI). Like Chris said, you might want to think about swapping harnesses out of an older model (94-95) - dash, engine, trans and under hood (PCM) harness. It's not that bad of a job. Or better yet, to keep the OE, look on Craigslist or a on-line national parts locator for a Cali '96-97 F250.
Patience and wiring diagrams will be two of your greatest assets. Good luck and keep us updated with the project.