Here is your place to start, a basic wiring scematic of your starting and charging systems.

 

the basic charging and starting wiring is pretty simple on all these gm vehicles and are the same color wires since way back when also on the trucks same.

purple thicker wire is the solenoid wire from the key switch

any red thicker wires go straight to a battery source

dark green small wire is temp sensor in cylinder head driver side

HEI is pink wire and thicker like the purple solenoid one

alternator is very simple

just make the charging post on it and the thicker spade connector wire on it hot all the time and it will work

can loop from the post up to the spade if you want

i have an 82 trans am too and have owned many of these cars i will be keeping mine forever, have too much into it and it is bone stock correct original other than the th350 and 2400 stall converter i swapped to, from the original 200c trans

once you learn the basic engine wiring under one 60s 70s 80s gm car or truck then you can do any of them

the only real change since long ago was in '73 and in '75 for internally regulated alternator, and for HEI distributor away from old points style


good luck