Who makes stand alone Harness ECM combos for putting Dmax where it doesn't belong?

[MattKatz]

I am just curious if any companies make a True harness for adding a Dmax setup where it doesn't belong. I did Google and I didn't come up with much that was useful. What I would like is a simple wiring setup where I don't need any integration with gauges and such. I just want ignition and OBD port for tuning. The Truck is already wired for everything else to work regardless of what motor is set down in it. I am looking to potentially put a Dmax into my Drag TBSS after I get my current 427 Turbo setup in and running well enough to hopefully snag the current record, than I want yank that out to put a Dmax in it and potentially enter Drag week with the Truck in September. I would also like to know what motor setup does the best as far as finding complete motors for the transplant, ease of modifying, and which makes the most power with bolt ons. Im hoping to put together a nice enough Dmax Setup to still propel the 4400 pound truck to a regular low 10 or high 9 second 1/4 mile time regularly and consistently.

Any and all Info provided would be great.

Thanks guys. :thumb:

 

[sweetdiesel]

A 4400lb vehicle will still require a fair bit of hp. I believe PPE sells a harness, but I know quite a few have done there own!

Russ at RPM might be able to help? I know lb7s would be a lot simpler

 

[MattKatz]

If Its just a modified Stock Harness, I can modify one of those myself. I am looking for a scratch built type harness too, so if its not like that, I will just modify a stock one myself. And I am quite aware of what kind of power Ill need, so I am all Ears on what mods I will need..The Truck I am guessing to weigh 4400 with a Dmax in it, since I see these are about 900 Dressed, and the LS that's going to be there before will be a few hundred less. I am shooting for 3800 with the LS motor and Driver...The motor that going in now we should have roughly 13-1500 Wheel with it on a decently aggressive tune. Im figuring somewhere in the neighborhood of 700-800HP and who knows what Tq in the Dmax should do the job.

 

[sweetdiesel]

I would just mod the stock. Ben is a excellent wire guru and may help you out or like I said Russ.

The guy that did mine simply sat down with a case a beer and a few days later it was all custom. He simply used a GM schematic and went from there. As I previously said the lb7 were a lot simpler.

Best of luck! Sounds like a great project....only advice is get the weight substantialy lower!

 

[MattKatz]

I agree about getting the weight as low as possible, and Ill look into the LB7, but I figured starting out with like an LMM would net me bigger power out of the box, but I am still learning on these Diesels a lot everyday so I will keep researching as I move forward.

 

[JoshH]

I ran a 10.86 @ 124.8 in my Dmax van with a race weight 5320 lbs including the driver. It was a stock motor with a tune, lift pump, and nitrous. It's never been on a dyno, but hp calculators put it around 700 hp to the wheels. I would just modify a stock harness if I were you. My van came from the factory with a Duramax, but since it is so gutted, it's basically set up as a stand alone unit. I like the LBZ myself.

 

[sweetdiesel]

I like the LBZ myself.

as in the motor or the electrical? I've personally never felt with it but I was under the impression the electrical was a fair bit more complex?

As for motors....hands down the lbz is better right from stock.

 

[MattKatz]

I ran a 10.86 @ 124.8 in my Dmax van with a race weight 5320 lbs including the driver. It was a stock motor with a tune, lift pump, and nitrous. It's never been on a dyno, but hp calculators put it around 700 hp to the wheels. I would just modify a stock harness if I were you. My van came from the factory with a Duramax, but since it is so gutted, it's basically set up as a stand alone unit. I like the LBZ myself.

Good to know on times there, and at 1000 more pounds than Im planning....sounds like Im at least on the right track.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

There is no purpose built harness like from painless to drop a DMAX into anything. PPE, Russ at RPM, and Ben are the 3 that I know of modifying the stock harness's to custom specs. So you can either modify your own, or if you go with the right wiring generation you could probably integrate the factory harness easy enough, probably even easier than butchering a stock harness to make it stand-alone. You already have a GM product, so chances are it wuld be relatively easy to just hook up the stock harness and fuse box, and tie it into the class 2 data coms and have it work like stock. The LBZ engine is probably going to be your best choice. For a stock platform it is the better performing of all of them, and has the least amount of modules since the BOSCH ECM fires the injectors directly instead of requiring a FICM to fire the injectors. If your building it up, then most any of them will work just fine. For tuning wise I like the LB7 as it just does what you tell it to, and is brutally simple compared to the others out there. And the LB7 in stock form is the lowest of all of the engines for hood clearance. Engines with a VVT require a good bit more hood clearance for the different intake arrangement.

 

[MattKatz]

There is no purpose built harness like from painless to drop a DMAX into anything. PPE, Russ at RPM, and Ben are the 3 that I know of modifying the stock harness's to custom specs. So you can either modify your own, or if you go with the right wiring generation you could probably integrate the factory harness easy enough, probably even easier than butchering a stock harness to make it stand-alone. You already have a GM product, so chances are it wuld be relatively easy to just hook up the stock harness and fuse box, and tie it into the class 2 data coms and have it work like stock. The LBZ engine is probably going to be your best choice. For a stock platform it is the better performing of all of them, and has the least amount of modules since the BOSCH ECM fires the injectors directly instead of requiring a FICM to fire the injectors. If your building it up, then most any of them will work just fine. For tuning wise I like the LB7 as it just does what you tell it to, and is brutally simple compared to the others out there. And the LB7 in stock form is the lowest of all of the engines for hood clearance. Engines with a VVT require a good bit more hood clearance for the different intake arrangement.

This is Great Info. The truck this is going into will have all the hood clearance it needs as I have two different cowls, one taller than the other. How much simpler is the LB7 and in what ways? As far as wiring, the Truck as it sits now has had all the wiring removed that was non-essential to run the Standalone Holley dominator setup for my 427. SO all the Data Communications are still there, all the windows, power locks and interior lighting functions are all still intact and operate just like the truck came from the factory this way. We completely removed the harness from the truck and stripped all the wiring out from the harness. SO basically what I have a is a Switch Panel to run all engine functions such as Power, Ign. Power, all pump and fan operations and start features as well as a kill feature. I haven't decided on a Trans as of yet but I may try my 400 on it at first, as Im pretty sure I will have to modify the trans tunnel if I want to run an Allison, but that's not out of the picture. I know for one I will need to move the turbo up to the front of the engine bay, so I am not sure what that's going to require. Ill Probably Take what ever engine I get and Rebuild it from the get go quickly and make any upgrades that are needed for the power I want to get out of it. The more info you guys can give me the better off this process will go. I am actually excited to even be considering doing this setup and itll be completely crazy and unique. And As far as the VVT, I am assuming just because it came with VVT, if I upgrade the turbo, we don't have to keep keep the VVT do we? That can be ELiminated since this will be more like a Drag style setup can it not? Bear with me if I ask any stupid questions......I am just learning the Diesels.

 

[JoshH]

I've never had any problem getting an LBZ to do what I want it to do. They are different to tune than an LB7 or LLY, but I wouldn't say they are more difficult. It just depends on what you're more familiar with.

You definitely do not have to keep the VVT! In fact, I encourage you to ditch it ASAP.

The only benefit I can see to integrating the engine with the factory wiring would be for instrumentation. Do you still have the factory instrument cluster? If not, I would do it stand alone. It's not that difficult. It just takes a lot of cutting.

I think a TH400 will have you gear bound by the 1/8 mile unless you build the engine and turn a lot of RPM. I run a 4L85E in my van.

 

[MattKatz]

YEah I was Concerned With Gearing, but with as much Torque as a Diesel makes, I might be able to go to a much higher gear and still make a 1/4 mile work with a 400, otherwise I will research a different option. The built 400 is just what I have now to go behind the 427. As far as Gauges, I will have stand alone instrumentation, so I wont need that from the Engine Harness or integrated with such.

 

[RPM Motorsports]

T-400 alone won't work for you unless your running 1/8mi. You will need a gear vendor and around a 2.90 gear to hit the 1/4. We were going through the traps at 4200rpm with a 28" tire, gear vendor and T-400 @ 4560lbs. Getting close to 9's on a stock motor is going to be an interesting experience for sure. "Must Do's"... Make the valve cover breathers larger, and put a retainer plate on the rear main seal. It will help keep you off the wall when you blow a hole through a piston & have a bunch of boost.

 

[MattKatz]

Gear vendors unit I have considered just for my regular build? But man I know thy are pricy even before I price one.

 

[duratothemax]

I can make you a custom harness that will plug right into the stock TBSS fuse block, and work with the factory instrument cluster etc...

Im doing one for a Dmax swap into a Colorado right now. The customer sent me both the Duramax harness and the stock Colorado gasser harness and I am in the process of marrying the two together.

Ive already got the Dmax ECM communicating with the stock Colorado instrument cluster and all that.

Another swap I did was a supercharged LS9 crate engine into a 2006 SSR. Customer wanted to keep traction control, ABS, factory instrument cluster, cruise control, etc...he insisted on making that all work like factory. The engineers at GM laughed at him and said to give up because it will never work. They said hes just going to have to deal with the ABS/traction control lights, no cruise, etc.

The guy contacted me, and after lots of work, I got literally everything working...traction control and all. Even the DIC shows proper fuel economy etc.

Let me know if you have any other questions, or need any advice.

Ben

 

[Xternal]

Love it when gm says nope, can't work, no way then someone with the drive proves them wrong

 

[MattKatz]

I don't need my harness' married. The fuse block and body harness are already modified and setup to run without and engine harness connected.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

The TH400 could probably be made to work as I believe Wade was running one in his pro stock truck running in the 7's in the quarter. Don't know if he had a gear vendor or not, but I don't remember seeing one when I looked at it. The 4L85E would be my choice simply for the lockup converter aspect of it. If you went with a 4L85E, then the LLY from a van would be your best bet. It is an LBZ engine, but with some external changes to work in a van configuration. Also it came stock with a 4L85E, so you can maintain defuel on shifts to help it live better at the higher HP. I personally like tuning the LB7 simply because when I set the tables to inejct 100MM3 of fuel, it does it. The LBZ/LMM require the extra table figured into the equation, and sometimes a limiter can step in and screw your plans up. Just my preference is all.

From the sounds of what your doing though, a van LLY/4L85E combo sounds like the best bet. And as Josh has proven, it can work in a racing enviroment in a big ole van so no reason it won't work in your TBSS.

 

[MMLMM]

LB7 engine IMO, however if you needed to change the injectors in it, it could be a hell of a job.

As for harness, modify it. Not really that hard unless you have the coin to just buy one that will most likely be a modified factory one anyway.

Keep us updated and take lots of pics of the project :thumb:

 

[MattKatz]

Ok, now to find some mock up junk parts, lb7 it will be, and I'm sure injectors are a breeze with the motor out in minutes