When we asked hot rodders what they thought about the GM Performance Parts E-Rod, we were surprised by how many people said they loved the idea, but were afraid it would be too difficult. The main concern we heard is that the very specific requirements for CARB emission legality would be too challenging for a guy in his garage to handle. We’re here to tell you that it’s not, and that’s where the EcoNova project is a bit different from others we take on.
…we promised in the beginning we’d get down to the nitty-gritty details and take the fear out of the E-Rod swap.
We don’t usually get quite so far into the minutiae of building a car, but we promised in the beginning we’d get down to the nitty-gritty details and take the fear out of the E-Rod swap. We’ve got the engine in place, now it’s time to get the first critical phase of bringing our ’76 up to ’11 standards: the main wiring harness and ECU.
It’s not brain surgery, but it does require that you exercise big-picture thinking…
GMPP worked hard to make sure the E-Rod kit is as user friendly as possible, but there are still quite a few variables up in the air—it all depends on what you’re swapping it into. Nevertheless, if you follow the basic rules set forth in the instructions, the results should be a 2010-and-later emissions-compliant rod. Easier said than done, right? It’s not brain surgery, but it does require that you exercise big-picture thinking since installing the harness, ECU, and drive-by-wire pedal assembly may have ramifications on how other parts of your car come together.
Time to wire! Just like on the floor, start with the injector harness since all the rest will locate from here. The grouping of the other sensor leads will tell you which side is which in case you have a moment of doubt. The four O2 sensor wires can be dropped down behind the engine since we won’t be using them up top.
If you’ve never faced the prospect of integrating a full harness into a vintage car it can seem daunting at first, but it’s not that bad. The harness is labeled, and the sensors are already installed on the engine. So here we go with the first installment of integrating the E-Rod: Wiring 101.
GMPP worked hard to make sure the E-Rod kit is as user friendly as possible, but there are still quite a few variables up in the air…
