Hey
So I wanted to clear something up to help the next guy like me. I did days and days or searching for info on how to wire the wiper motor/washer pump in my 82 Firebird using a spare 90 steering column I had kicking around. The only info I could find is, "you can't do it" adds take the guts out of the early column as put them in the late one. Also the supposedly the option of changin the motor to te newer stule is out of quesyion due to mounting and linkage issues, this I cant tell you about.
So neither column option was going to work for me do I stated at the wiring diagrams for long enough and came up with a working solution.
One other thing I have to say is that I do not motors delay motor but this should work for it too.
The ont thing that needs to be done is the connector has to be pinned differently than just color to color. Early style grounds through the column switch the late style gets power to the column and distributes it. Being a switch is doesn't know which was the current goes so that doesn't matter.

Here's the wiring.
82 Body. 90 Column
Black. White
Pink. Pink
Purple. Gray
Gray. Dk.Grn
Dk.Grn. Purple

The plastic connectors will not clip together so you can either repin the late column with early connector or like I did repin the body harness with the new female connector from my parts car.

With this setup all functions work as they should. The only thing is that because I've got a delay switch but no delay motor I get high speed through the delay section. I think if the motor was delay it would work as I should. In any case not a big deal and it's an option.

Thanks for your time

 

OH man you are a saviour as Im having the same issue right now. Thanks for the write up man

 

One other thing I'm considering is converfing to the newer fluid tank with an electric pump because that 6 squirt mech pump drives me crazy.

 

I put a 92 in a 89 and it all worked but I did add the air bag set-up which has 3 sensors. I also changed the dash harness and added the 90-92 gauges and dash though. 90-92 is the same and 89 is a mut year. 88 and older is close to the same I think. Mine took months and was a nightmare. I had to change every harness except the a/c harness and the power window/lock harness. All other wiring was changed to 90-92 Z and t/a.

 

82-83 (maybe 84) are the exception to the 3rd gen columns. The signal and ignition switch wiring are basically the same for all years but it's the wiper/washer wiring that differs. The early 3rd gens run power to the wiper motor a ground through the switch whereas the later ones do the opposite, power to switch and ground through motor. Also the wire colors/functions are different as my original post explains. Thay all will physically bolt up. For example my 88 has a column from an 01 Z28 and it was a direct bolt in. Now it has the complete dash and working on the driveline and wiring swap.
It's interesting to hear that the airbag install worked thou (well yet to find out), and that it was so self contained. I was contemplating the attempt to transfer the abs from the 01 into my 88 but decided to pass.

 

Bringing back an old thread! I had a quick question for you guys. Im debating swapping a column from an 89 into my 84 z28. I want to make sure everything is plug and play, besides the wipers of course... turn signals, high beams and all that is very important! also what did you do about the vats system the newer column has? did you have to change the cylinder with a regular plain old key? Thanks for your help!

 

thanks...took me a day to find this post and it is just what i needed. 82 body getting 92 column.