[Bigblock50]

Well, I got the plus cable installed as suggested by RustyPile. In doing so I noticed the factory loop-clamps that are invisible looking from the top. (Note-this truck has AC meaning lots of junk on the battery side of the engine compartment.) No shorts like before when I grounded the battery but the vehicle was once again dead. Cause was that the short blew the fusible link again. I can get another one tomorrow at AutoZone.

For the information of those who haven't followed this whole saga ... a few weeks ago the fusible link on my 72 GMC blew suddenly, leaving me stranded, thankfully close to home. The short came from a "birds nest" of wiring and electrical tape near the battery, an attempt from many years back by a PO or gas station to wire the truck for a camper. I decided that the birds nest had to go and didn't expect a problem as I don't have a camper.

Wrong. After deleting lots of extraneous junk the electrical system was fine but the truck would not crank over. Lots of wire tracing followed until I discovered, with forum help, that underneath a bunch of electrical tape near the firewall junction block, the evildoer had spliced into the purple wire leading from the neutral safety switch to the solenoid (SEE PICTURE) and rerouted it into the birds nest as a BLUE wire. Why would anyone do that?? I don't know. Unsafe for sure. Anyway, I've rewired the purple wire directly to the solenoid. In the course of fixing all this, I found numerous cases of splices under tape, always with a color change, purple to blue, green to black, etc. Some splices were just twisted wires! I have just a few more "unknown" wires to check out and probably delete, once I get the truck started again. What a pain--but in the end the truck will be a much safer vehicle to drive.

Bill in Luray