1991 B150 Van, 5.2L 318ci

I have a bunch of burnt and bad wires under the hood. Complete disaster....Thinking it's best to go computerless.

Please walk me through how to make it an old-school non-computerized engine.

Is it just adding a carb and electric fuel pump?

What else is neeed? Please be specific/clear.
- Run oil pressure and engine coolant sensors direct to gauge?
- Starter relay/ignition wiring?
- Field wires on alternator (use external volage regulator)?
- Coil?
- I have no smog or A/C pump wiring to worry about.

 

I think this is the wrong approach. Would suggest you figure out where your electrical problem is, repair it and then replace the front section wiring harness. The computer controls all the things you mentioned, and even more like the fuel gauge and speedo.

 

My post trying to get help with wiring isn't going anywhere and I need something going and this seemed like the only alternative.

Wiring prob may be from hood hinge wearing into 50-wire bulkhead cluster causing numerous shorts and burnt wires. No wire can be purcahsed to just pop-in (replace all wires under hood/on engine.

 

You'll have to source a replacement front harness from either a junkyard or from a company that manufacturers replacement wiring harnesses. A 1991 van is plenty old, but not so old that you won't be able to find a donor van somewhere to grab the engine bay wiring. I think on a '91 there is a junction block where the front harness plugs into the firewall just below the battery -- so changing it out would certainly seem simpler than what you are suggesting. If memory serves the plug is secured to the firewall with a center bolt. But I could be mistaken - check it out further.

Anyway, I would spend my time doing that rather than figuring out a way to rewire the entire vehicle for a carb setup.

 

Do you have state inspections where you are? If so you cannot do this conversion.

 

Rusty93RamVan:
You are right that there is a bulk-head with a center bolt along the firewall by brake booster. I did some Google searches for one online and came up with nothing. This too would be ideal if I could find a new one. I don't want to replace used with used.

Alloro:
No emissions testing in my county. No computer to me means less things to fail. I keep having wiring electric issues.

 

You will have to design (or salvage and modify from a pre-1984 vehicle) at the very least:

electronic ignition system
fuel pump wiring
starter relay wiring
all guages + sender wiring
voltage regulator and primary power wiring

If I wanted to do this I would probably look at the wiring harness on something like a 1977 - 1980 Dodge van and see if you could use the wiring, gauges, and ignition used on that. The existing fuel pump can probably be run using the existing relay and a dash mounted switch.

All in all this will be more work than repairing the existing issues, unless your ECM is bad and you don't want to buy another one.

 

I'm not surprised at all you did not find a company that manufacturers a replacement wiring harness for a 1991 Dodge van; no call for that product really. A custom wiring shop can do it -- there is plenty of information out there for a good Hot Rod wiring shop to make you a harness. But that will be expensive.

You may not have much of a choice in this situation. If you really desire to repair this van then obtaining a good used front harnesss is the way that makes most sense. There has to be one in a junkyard somewhere.

What would you want to pay for that? My local yard has a good amount of '90s B vans, so maybe I could look for you.