ls swap questions

[feller]

ok firts off, this is not a swap for a truck. but still fits in this fourm i think... any way. i have an 86 monte carlo that me and some friends swapped the old 305 for a 350 to get some power out of the old girl, but because of the liquid courage we had in us we decided not to unplug any of the factory wiring harness, but rather cut it all to peices. (not a good idea)!!! but you live and learn. so a friend and mechanic now tells me that if i want the alternator to charge and the factory guages to work properly i will now need a complet wiring harness. (good luck finding one).

now for the ls questions. if i swapped an ls say a 4.8 or 5.3 with all accesories and say gm's stand alone controler would this solve my charging and any other problems that i may have without a factory 1986 monte carlo harness, while giving me more power,fuel econ, and making the vehicle more dependable. if so is it reasonable to think i could do all this for around $1500? any help or expereance with the stand alone computer is appericated.