1977 l28e to 1982 l28et swap harness help

[Jonnytalk]

I have a 1977 280z that I am swapping out motors from a 1982 280zx l28et. All of the mechanical part of it is done except the turbo plumbing. The problem im having is the electrical. I just bought a harness for the l28et motor to run the ecu but I dont know where to begin installing it, some of the wires are cut so if you have any pointer or instructions on how to go about this Id appreciate it. If all else fails im also willing to pay any locals to come and help me.

thanks,

Jon

[5thhorsemann]

The US is a big place...............Define Local.

[Jonnytalk]

sorry, about that Seattle, WA

[dciraolo]

I did a n/a to turbo swap in my supra, and had the same issue. In my case, the harness that came with the engine was cut almost completely near the ecu plugs, and I had to either buy an uncut complete one or try to match up 70+ wires... If most of the plugs are cut, then you'll be much better off buying a new harness, or at least a used one with minimal missing plugs. Also, if you are wondering which plugs are missing and you have your old harness, you can lay them out next to each other and that should give you an idea. It shouldn't be too hard because there really aren't all that many plugs to begin with.

Also, as you route the harness through the firewall from the ecu and onto the engine, the plugs should generally fall into place around where they should be. Looking at pictures of 280z engine bays should give you a general idea of how to route it. If you have any questions feel free to post them up here (pictures are always good) and I can try to help, or someone else here will. I know I'm a noob to this forum, but like I said I did the same type of swap on my supra. Good luck!

[SteveJ]

Download the FSM for the 82 at XenonS130.com and the 78 at XenonS30.com. Use the wiring diagrams from the 78 & 82 to identify the wires you need to connect to make the swap. Use waterproof connectors in the engine bay if you have to make the connections there.

[IdahoKidd]

I have the exact same setup but I had a donor car to do a side by side conversion. I got a lot of material from Hybrid Z. No help at all from the members as they are VERY clickish. Read and compare all that you find as there is more misinformation there than that of use. I did finally find a pretty good wiring diagram with pictures that was about 80% correct. There is a lot of "I think" and "it should" and "I haven't actually done it but..." stuff there. Sort it all out but I did determine it wasn't as complicated as it appeared to be.

Leonard