I have switched out the automatic transmission in my 94 k1500 for a manual transmission, currently I am trying to figure out how to wire up the back up lights and speedometer. I have some sort of idea as to where the plugs are on the manual since I found a diagram however from what i have read the backup light for the automatic is in the steering column with the neutral safety switch. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

hey i am thinking about going to a 5 speed in my truck.....how much of a job was it to do that?

 

This is my first swap so it has been a learning experience. I am not a mechanic by any means, but besides what i am struggling with on the wiring it hasn't been all bad, the firewall holes for the clutch pedal are outlined, but need cut out. The same goes for the hole in the floor for the shifter. When putting the tranny in be sure to remove not only the shift ****, but also the top part of the shifter from the tranny in order to have the room to put it up in. Also there does not seem to be the correct mounting to stabilize the front of the clutch petal, so we ended up welding 2 pieces of angle iron to the firewall, needed to remove the dash to do this. This project was started by a friend of mine that lost intrest, so he pulled all the parts from the donor truck. The brake petal from the donor is the smaller pedal to not get to close to the clutch pedal, however the brake light switch and wiring were different between the two so I made a pattern of the smaller pedal and used that to cut the larger existing pedal down to size. Worked great. The truck does run and move, I just need to figure out this wiring issue.

 

ok thanks...just i havent had to much luck with the 700r4 so i figureed if it wernt to bad next time it went that i might put a stick in it... thanks alot

 

By chance does anyone have pictures/digrams of the manual transmission wiring and or the automatic transmission wiring. Can I take the wires from the backup lights on the neutral safety switch on the steering column and route them to the transmission and get this to work. Even if you haven't done a swap, but have had to replace some of these wires, your knowlegde would be helpful.

 

I have not performed the particular swap that you are asking about, but as an avid hot-rodder and truck builder, I have done similar swaps over the years. The short answer to your question is yes, you can re-route the wires from the auto steering column and put them on the manual transmission. The more involved answer is that you have to be careful to use the correct wires. On most GM automatic steering columns, there are usually two switches in one body that connect to the gear selector. The first is the neutral safety switch, and the second is for the back up lights. To convert the automatic to a manual, you need to CONNECT the wires from the neutral safety switch so that the vehicle will start, OR get the switch that connects to the clutch pedal and attach the neutral safety switch wires to the switch on the pedal. The second thing you need to do is to lengthen the wires that go to the second switch (back-up switch) and connect them to the switch on the manual transmission. Most often, it does not matter what way the wires go on to the two pronged switch on the manual transmission. Things may be a bit different, however with a computer controlled engine/tranny. I am not sure if the computer needs to know if the transmission is in reverse to make the engine run properly.

I am currently researching a similar swap for my '72 Chevy pickup, and I am trying to install a '94 Chevy TBI 350 with an early model 4 speed standard. From what I can see, the '94 Chevy computer wants to know if the transmission is in gear to make the Throttle Body Injection work properly. It is programmed differently to operate under load than it is without one. My understanding is that the computer will allow the TBI system to work without the transmission input, but it will get poor mileage and power unless the eprom is changed or programmed differently. Things may be different on your setup.

 

Im look to doing the same thing I was wondering if you could tell me what I need to do the swap and what websites I could use.