First of all, before anybody jumps on me, I did search the forum. However, pretty much everything I found is to install on a 03+ GM truck with the newer wiring harness. I am wondering if the the wiring for the VSS and Illumination are the same as in the newer trucks. any of you professional installers know?

Illumination is in the radio harness. Get a 70-1858 and call it a day. Make sure you tie the illumination wire of the avic to the orange wire on the 1858 not the orange/white wire.

Vss may be in the radio harness as well, If it is, it'll be dk green/white in the part of the harness that has 7 pins but only 1 or 2 wires in it. If it's not there, then

Speed Sense dk. green/white ECM

Notes: ECM is located near the battery, down low, between the fender and the fan under the black plastic cover. On the 4.3L, the VSS wire is at pin 3 in the connector labeled black. On the 4.8L, 5.3L, and 6.0L, the VSS wire is located in pin 50 of the red connector.

merry xmas.

well i got antsy and went and got a scosche harness before i read your reply. is it pretty much the same as the metra that you mentioned? it looks like the scosche doesn't have the VSS wire. now i'm wondering if the metra might. this is my first install and i am trying to make things as simple as possible

No theres not going to be a vss wire in either the scosche or metra. He is saying that it will be in the smaller of the two vehicle harnesses connected to your truck. It will be simplest to grab it from there.

yeah, after thinking about it, i figured that. well all i need now is the dash kit and i will be ready to go