Newbee with scary T2 project
 

Hi all. New to the forum but been browsing it for quite a while. I dragged home a project car today. I got it at a silent auction and I figured that $300 for a 1989 T2 wasn't a bad deal. Body is in good shape..no rust or damage that I can see. Interior is probably a 5 out of 10. So far so good, right? Now for the bad (or unknown)....

The PO absolutely butchered the entire wiring system. The dashboard looks like it is puking spaghetti through where the radio used to me. Spliced and cut wires everywhere. There must be 6 individual wires to the battery ground. Carpet is torn up and wiring routed under. Looks like he tried to rewire from scratch, or something. He even has a seperate temp gauge attached to the console.

Motor condition is unknown but the car seems to have been modified quite a bit. Aftermarket air filters, looks to be lowered, brace (export brace?) between the towers under the hood and much more. 159k on the odometer.

I have always liked the T2 and am willing to do alot of work. Question is....I am a fair mechanic but not so much with electrics. Is it a steep learning curve to re-wire a huge project like this? Are there wiring harnesses available out there? I did a google search and didn't find much. Is it even possible to take what he did and reverse engineer back to stock? I wouldn't even think if not for the cheap buy in price. By the way, I have a line on a replacement motor and trans if necessary for like $900, so it isn't as if there will be lots of investment in a worst case scenario. I would really appreciate your opinions. THANKS!!!!

post some pics!

$300 is a great deal, alot of bare chassis cars go for a lil more then that. You still have parts in the car to work with.

Another question. I ran the vin on a free check site and it confirmed that it is indeed a Turbo II, but isn't there supposed to be a boost gauge on the dash? Could the PO have put in a non-turbo dash or something? Vin is: JM1FC3325K0702947. Can someone confirm? Here are some pics...if this works. Thanks in advance guys!!!

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$300? damn... good buy.

It has a nonturbo cluster hence the 9k tach.

Yes, that's a non-turbo instrument cluster. Your redline isn't 8k, it's actually 7k, and the mileage will also likely be wrong. I doubt they kept the original speedometer, but it's still possible.

Get a new front harness from a junkyard, ebay, forum classifieds, etc... I also noticed that you do not have an AFM on the car. In order to run, there would have had to be a standalone EMS. Is it still in the car? If so, you scored big time.

Sorry to flaunt my ignorance...but where would I find the stand alone EMS? Do you mean that the stock EMS would be located within the AFM? Sorry to be stupid...I really did search before asking.

Stand alone is an engine management system like a Megasquirt, Power FC or Haltech. AFM= air flow meter and is needed for the car to run on the stock computer.

Welcome to the club, cut up your credit cards.

Standalone Engine Management System, which is an aftermarket ECU. The stock ECU location is under the passenger-side carpet with a metal kick panel. Check there to see what you've got.

The AFM is the air flow meter, which is used by the stock ECU to measure incoming airflow. Your car is missing the AFM, which would normally be right before the turbo inlet.

there might be a stand alone, looks like it's got an upgraded intercoler too.

I wouldn't worry too much about those wires. They all look stereo related. Or related to the aftermarket gauge.

Your gauge cluster is likely swapped if the VIN confirms a T2.

WOW, what a great find for 300!

Looks like I have a Haltech E6K as a management system. What do I have? Is that a desirable thing in the aftermarket world?

it is VERY common in 2nd gens. There is a TON of support here on the forum. Check the engine management section. It is an older Haltech unit that is simple and robust.

Man, score for you. What about the intercooler? Details?

Intercooler is a mystery to me..big shock. I took the below pics. It is obviously aluminum but doesn't appear to have any markings on it that I can see.

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dude you scored for $300 bucks

those intercooler pipes look pretty bad! Those welds are slapped on there thick.

But hey, I'm sure it's better than the stock top mount.

Dude, I'm jealous. Give it to me.

Huge score with that buy. More pics. It probably has more aftermarket goodies.

Looks like an aftermarket exhaust (hanging by a wire). The interior looks to be pretty stock, no aftermarket steering wheel. I am going to look at another T2 today that has a blown motor, but otherwise good shape for $500. Now that I know a bit about them, I should be able to know what I am looking at.

you fucker! I need to move to Utah apparently.

Dude you got a hell of a deal. The Haltech alone is worth more than what you paid for the car. Post some pics of the body and how messed up and hopeless it looks so I will feel less jealous and spiteful.

Here are a couple of pics of the outside. I forgot to mention that it has aftermarket wheels. Anyone know the type? Overall, the car is in good shape for what I think it has been through. No dents and no rust. The front passenger side turnsignal lens is messed up as well as the drivers side rear tailight has a small hole in it. Other than than, it is just dirty and could use fresh paint. Sorry for the bad pics. My dark garage isn't the best place to shoot. Oh yeah...it is missing the rear spoiler.

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There's a free Factory Service Manual in the sticky at the top of this forum. Grab that, study it, and you'll be able to sort out your electrical issues concerning the radio and other factory electronics.

Since you have the Haltech, you should also check all the wiring; if they're anything like the wiring done on the interior, I would suspect that they are wired the same as well. The Haltech sub-forum will be the best place for information.

Don't know what those wheels are, they should be tossed away for some nicer ones :)

Do a compression test as soon as you can.

Digging deeper I see that my turbo is a HT 18S-2S. Is this a stock item for an 89 T2? The more I dig, the more inclined I am to part this out and use the money to get something a bit more stock. Body is great, interior is ok (except for the dash area) and motor is suspect. I am going to try a compression test tonight. With all the weird wiring, I am hoping it doesn't go up in smoke!!! Thanks for the advice and input guys! :-)

Like this?

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Stock

wow dude i thought i found good deals on fcs, but i bow to you that is a damn steal at 300

super lucky find! north or south utah?

damn the buy of the year