Good evening I have a 1977 Coupe Deville that I put a 1980 368 engine in. My wire harnesses on the 77 is a lil different. It doesn't have the round connection for the distributor and it's missing the plug that runs under the air compressor that goes into the engine. Can I bypass these or what do I have need to do.
Carbureted & bypassed the DEFI?
I believe the RWD car 368's in 80 had the computer command carbs which included distributor timing. Eldo and Seville got the DEFI which also had computer timing.
To solve the distributor problem just swap the distributor from your old engine. Let us know if you need instructions on how to do that, there are tricks to make it easier.
The rest of the computer command engine should run OKish without being connected like the throttle position sensor, mixture control solenoid, and egr solenoid.
Just in case you have issues at least hang onto the intake manifold and carb from your old engine, it could end up swapping that stuff onto the 368.
Good evening now that install my 368 in my 77 deville but the mounts are in the original spot but one side will bolt up and the other side are a little up and are on the rubber of the mount. I did the other side first and it's doing the same thing. I'm lost and need help figuring it out. Thanks.
The 368 isn't as well known as the 472/500/425 when it comes to swaps but I would expect the holes in the engine block to be the same so you should be able to swap the whole bracket off the 77 engine.
I'm not sure what wire you are talking about related to the air compressor, gonna need some more info on that one. Is this a wire that car has but the new engine doesn't? Or the other way around the new engine has something that there isn't a place to plug into your car?
It's the wiring that come on the engine. It runs under the air compressor into the block.
"To solve the distributor problem just swap the distributor from your old engine. Let us know if you need instructions on how to do that, there are tricks to make it easier."
Perhaps you didn't read TJ's suggestion... I have direct experience with the distributor swap. It worked for me with a computer managed Cadillac into which I swapped an older model Olds carburetor engine... worked perfectly. James
James, in this case it going the other direction than you did. You had a non computer engine into a computer car and kept the computer. This case its a computer engine into a non computer car.
Air compressor I assume you are referring to the air conditioning compressor? Top front center of the engine? Under there is the coolant temp sensor. Old engine/car should have had one there too, a single wire one that runs the dash light. Computer engine would expect to have had that plus an additional 2 wire sensor for the computer. I would transfer the sensor from your old engine to this engine. The port under the AC and near the distributor base are in the same coolant passage so either or both can be used. IF there is a sensor sticking out of the passenger side behind the water pump that is also basically the same passage too.
Pardon my ignorance but why on earth would you put a 368 into a car that had a 425 in it. You are going to end up with a vastly under powered car and the mileage will probably be worse, since the 368 is going to have to work a lot harder than the original engine?
Greg Surfas
That's the only one I could find. All the other engine are hard to find these days. I tired of the car sitting so I'm putting that in it until I can find a bigger one. It's just temporary.
Do you have emission testing in your area?
Greg surfas
No