2.3 NA regina to 2.3 Turbo LH2.4 motor swap

[2manyturbos]

Pulled the engine tonight. wasn't too bad actually with the radiator out.
View attachment 29044View attachment 29043
Like I said, basically a brand new engine.View attachment 29042
I'll pull the dash harness tomorrow after work and see how it is, if it's just the dash section I'm fine with that. Think I can get away with just reaching through the gauge cluster hole and glovebox hole or will I have to pull the entire top section and center console?

You need to remove the dash complete. That means removing the console, the radio, heater control panel, center stack side panels, the steering wheel and switches etc. The whole process only takes an hour.

 

[comanche250]

You need to remove the dash complete. That means removing the console, the radio, heater control panel, center stack side panels, the steering wheel and switches etc. The whole process only takes an hour.

Oh fun

 

[2manyturbos]

Oh fun

What sounds like the long way around the block is actually the short cut. Not only that, you will get an idea how everything goes together before you touch the car you are actually going to keep. A guinea pig, so to speak. In order to do this correctly, you are going to have to do the same thing with your 1991.

 

[244tiCanuck]

Oh fun

It's really not that bad if you just get to it and do it. It will be time consuming, but not especially difficult. It will yield a FAR better result than chopping and hacking something together. Keep the rad and E fan and everything from the late car. Swap everything.

 

[2manyturbos]

I'll tell you ahead of time to look for a torx drive sheet metal screw dead center of the body way back behind where the radio box is located. It ties the upper dash plenum to the lower heater case plenum. If you don't remove that before trying to lift the dash out you will break the plenum.

 

[comanche250]

Okay that's all reassuring. I'm gonna wait until a long weekend comes along so that'll give me a day to pull the engine and harness, a day to put the new harness in, and and day to drop the new engine in and do the final check.

 

[2manyturbos]

It really isn't bad at all. I pull the dash to do the heater core jobs. It's easier in the long run and yields a better end result. 7 hours to do the entire heater core job including clean up of the coolant.
Cheeto940 has his dash pulled right now to change his entire dash harness. The problems he is having are due to cooked wiring from bad connections. A quick description on how it came out and he had the dash out later that evening. Just be patient and don't yank hard on the dash to pull it. There are two fasteners on each side that are covered up by the A-pillar. The is one going straight up into the steering column. Then the center steel structure that holds the radio etc that is bolted to the upright center stack panels. The design is well thought out.

 

[DET17]

Run the factory E-fan. Well designed and executed.

 

[comanche250]

I got the driver's side harness out, the passenger side is easy since it's only two connectors, but.. how the hell do I get the heater matrix box out so I can pull the harness through the hole?

 

[HiSPL]

The mechanical fan has been dyno'd and proven to suck down 7-8ish HP. On a car that doesn't hit 200, that's significant.

I felt a decent amount of difference on my NA 240 going from the clutch fan to the efan.

 

[HiSPL]

Also this thread is classic Tbricks. Pulling an engine in the dirt with the help of concrete blocks! lol

 

[comanche250]

This is what I'm having trouble with right now
All I need is for this bad boy to go out the firewall hole but the stupid heater matrix is in the way and I can't find any bolts to unbolt the damn thing

 

[comanche250]

Also I'm really hoping I don't need the rest of the dash harness (pictured)

As it's all hacked up and a mess

 

[2manyturbos]

This is what I'm having trouble with right nowView attachment 29069
All I need is for this bad boy to go out the firewall hole but the stupid heater matrix is in the way and I can't find any bolts to unbolt the damn thing

The heater case has some of the fasteners inside the car and the others are studs going through the firewall with nuts on them. That is what those studs are that you see near the exhaust manifold.

 

[HiSPL]

Take lots of pics! I have to do this as soon as the heat breaks here in a month or two....

 

[comanche250]

I found a way! It involves a wrench and brute force.

But I got the connector out, just needed that little extra room.

 

[comanche250]

That should be all I need right? I won't need the rest of the harness that connects the ignition, radio, heater, gauge cluster, ect right?

 

[2manyturbos]

View attachment 29084
That should be all I need right? I won't need the rest of the harness that connects the ignition, radio, heater, gauge cluster, ect right?

Wrong. That harness is what links those two harnesses together.

 

[comanche250]

Wrong. That harness is what links those two harnesses together.

And my Regina dash harness is different?

 

[2manyturbos]

And my Regina dash harness is different?

They are definitely different. That said, they may not be different in a way that will affect your conversion. The only way to know is to examine the bulkhead connector wires/pins and see how closely they compare. The 95 dash harness definitely has a different type of connector for the instrument cluster connections.