Dash swap?

[ryenol]

I have a 1994 ecsb 2wd I would like to put a 1995 or newer dash in it. Is this fairly easy? My main concern is wiring/controls.

[BamaSam]

Hey Ryenol, There is a thread started concerning this swap. It can be found in the top sticky of the Interior section.

[bigwhite93]

http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forums/general-discussion/interior-tech/197454-88-94-95-98-all-swap-info-compile.html

[ryenol]

thanks, sorry

[someotherguy]

My main concern is wiring/controls.
And it should be!

I challenged someone in another thread discussing this to post that they did the conversion 100% including ALL controls, everything working as it should from the factory. I'm sure someone has done it, but I'm also sure most people stop before finishing the job because it's such a hassle. The speedo and climate controls seem to be the downfall of most swaps I've seen.

I also figure nobody hooks up the driver's side air bag, that's assuming if they bother to do the column swap, which you should if you want it to look right. The passenger side airbag on 97-up is probably better replaced with that cool storage pocket that came on the heavy trucks.

Richard

[gr8twhite]

Do-able, but major PITA....

[cordatta]

Hey Richard I did the swap during the week of Xmas. While it was a pain in the a$$ everything thus far on mine works. I swapped the column, fuse box and am tackling the a/c this weekend. No need for a airbag since I'm running a billet wheel on the 96 dash.

[lowriderbowtie]

the old dash suites the truck better than the rounded ones in the 95-98 IMO

[someotherguy]

Hey Richard I did the swap during the week of Xmas. While it was a pain in the a$$ everything thus far on mine works. I swapped the column, fuse box and am tackling the a/c this weekend. No need for a airbag since I'm running a billet wheel on the 96 dash.
Yeah, I didn't mean to make it sound like people were cutting corners by not hooking up the air bags, personally I don't run a stock wheel (although my truck is pre-airbag) and wouldn't hook airbags up if I were to do this swap, either. The places I generally see people fall short are the gauges, A/C controls...

Now if you bring over an entire harness that's another story, a lot less hacking.

But you said it all - pain in the ass, that's why most people don't finish it 100%.

I've got a project where I want to put a '96 Vortec 7.4 into a '94 that had a 6.5TD. Instead of battling everything, I may just swap the whole '96 cab on while I'm swapping engines/trans. :D Sound crazy? Maybe!

Richard

[cordatta]

I think in that scenario swapping the cab would be the way to go. That is a route that leads to a lot less of a headache.

I know that there has been discussion of being able to use a 95 engine harness and the swap being basically plug and play. After all the reasearch I did I opted to tie parts of the 96 harness to my original 93 harness. To me that made things easier but I had to literally take each harness apart and pull what I needed out and then solder/heat shrink it back together. I don't consider my harness hacked due to the fact that it looks factory and when it comes to wiring solder/heat shrink is the only option to go.

Personally putting airbags onto a truck that wasn't equipped with one in the first place seems risky business and expensive. Risky due to the fact that most people get their components for the swap at the junkyard, expensive b/c the airbag module and bag are one time use components I believe.

Thanks for your help too Richard in looking for me a harness at the time and best of luck with your projects.