Here is my situation. I have:
-89 RS Camaro
-96 LT1 that needs to be rebuilt
-Rebuilt 700r4 with corvette and race internals along with a high stall converter

I really dont want to make a wiring harness because I dont think I can make one and get it right. I am looking at painless wiring harnesses, and I found the one for the 92-93 models and the one for the 94-97 models. I read on summit that since I'm not using the 4L60E that I can use the 92-93 harness with the proper PCM tuning. Is this correct? I have also read where some people dont encourage the Painless harness. Why is this? Is there a better alternative to a Painless wiring harness for me?

 

With the painless kit, you're paying for basically a stock LT1 harness with the wires labeled. To run the 700, you'll need a lockup kit for the tranny, a '93 TB. The tuning in the '96 is OBDII where the 92-95 are OBDI. Easiest way, sell the 700, get a 4L60E and have it built if you need to, this will be the less painful way of putting the LT1 in the car but then you will need a cable-x box for the VSS signal from the 4L60E to be converted to a signal that will turn a speedo cable from it to the speedometer.

 

i forgot to say that the 700r4 is a 92. I'm using the 700r4, we got a great deal on it. So, specifically what will I need to make the combination work with a painless harness, vs. without it? I do have the stock LT1 harness also.

 

Run your LT1 wires and label them as you find out where they go thats all the painless harness dose. With the painless you will still have to splice and so on.

 

so what will i have to splice (i'd like a few examples please). Other post I have read seem to act like the painless harness is all I would need. Also, nobody has answered the questions on whether the 92-93 harness would work with my 96 lt1+700r4 like summit said it would.

 

the '92-93 LT1 harness will work with the LT1, but then you will need a '92-93 LT1 ECM (not PCM) and then you are at a point where you will need chips to be burned to tune the car, unlike the '94-'95 for OBDI and '96-97 for OBDII that are flash based. The painless harness is a stock LT1 harness without all of the ends and labeled wires. If you read the LT1wiring for dummies thread, pretty much all the wiring is explained in there.

You can also goto shbox.com and get LT1 wiring diagrams.

 

Keep the 700 because the 92-93 ecm/harness is made for it.

Theres no point to upgrade to the other trans because the electronic control thing on the transmission wont have anywhere to go unless you rig something up or get a big *** shifter or something like that.