Do I really need the wire from the alternator to the bulkhead connector?

autopar3000 said
I know if you want the ammeter to work then all the car's power needs to run through it.

A falacy [sp?]
Ammeters only show battery discharge and charging. That's the only power that goes through them.

autopar3000 said
But then I started asking myself why it needs to come from the alternator? In the factory setup the power goes from the alternator, into the bulkhead, through the ammeter, then out of the bulkhead to the starter relay.

Because it doesn't. The alternator directly feeds the main circuits that branch off from the main splice. (up through '74 models)

autopar3000 said
I'll go through those other links you posted when I'm not on the clock at work.

I hear you! One reason I'm not on the forum as much as in the past.
When you look at those links, the diagrams should help clarify what I posted above about the power feeds.

autopar3000 said
Hey Mattax, this is some quality advice for sure. I'm good an imagining and conceptualizing these things, but it would help to put a wiring diagram on paper and see it. Still just conceptualizing, here's what I'm thinking about the electrical equipment and the power for each:

Me too

autopar3000 said
As long as there's a fuse somewhere in the circuit the entire circuit is protected, right?

A fuse protects against overloads including shorts after the fuse.
A short to ground before the fuse will continue to short.
- When it comes to the alternator, in most cases the short will stop it from functioning.
-- If the short kills power to the ignition, the engine stops turning and the alternator stops generating electricity
-- If the short kills power to the field, the field dies and the alternator stops producing electricity.

The fusible link was implemented to reduce the danger from the battery. If battery positive shorts to ground, it will continue to supply power until the connection burns out or it runs out of energy. A 16 gage fusible link will melt before the 12 gage wires. That's the concept anyway.