Newbie electrical questions

Well, I dunno about you, but I've never put a fuse, circuit breaker, or fuse link between the charge post of the alternator and either the hot side of the starter solenoid or positive post of the battery on anything I've built..... Now the sense wire on a 3-wire Delco? Yeah, I usually put a fuse there...

 

I bought hi-temp auto wire from KayJay Co. in various gauges and colors for about $55 and did my own re-wire job including fuse block and volt meter etc. With all the wire, auto-meter gauges, connectors, fuse block,shrink tube, misc fittings and 12si alternator I spent $300 and had wire left over. I think if I ever to it again I might buy the wire harness kit as soldering all those connectors was a bit of a hassle.

I replaced the ammeter with a volt meter and installed a separate fuel gauge (The speedo fuel gauge uses some in-line wiring trickery to introduce resistance so they run at reduced power or something... I didn't understand it so it seemed hokey to me ) I also used fusible-link wires on the power leads to the starter solenoid and from the main power lead to the ignition switch, in case I get a short, it will burn that little section of wire before getting to the the main lines. Also there is a red idiot light on the dash. I initially didn't hook that up but read somewhere it is necessary to get the charging circuit to work properly so I hooked it up as well and it seems to work.

Good luck, your budget is a real challenge considering what all you said wasn't working, don't let it nickle and dime you.

 

i got a hotrod harness for 65 bucks online.
sorry i cant remember from whom