Ammeter bypass turning over alternator

[crackedback]

Ammeters are a garbage gauge that provides little useful info. Ammeters in a vacuum (as in our cars) without another informational gauge is meh.

Ever get in a car with an ammeter, it rides along the zero line, a couple hours later the car is dead. Fun stuff.

Where are ammeters important, airplanes, spacecraft, ocean vessels, Absolutely. Because if the charging system isn't keeping up with draw, and things go dead (lose avionics/lights/controls), you hit the ground or end up adrift. They also have a voltmeter in the instrumentation most of the time. In a car you are the side of the road...

Anyone that says that an ammeter/charging system in a muscle era Chrysler has never caused an issue is fibbing to you. The factory fusible link does such a wonderful job of protecting the system as well. Please don't make me laugh at that. It allows plenty to melt before it sacrifices itself. Fuses and breakers will run at as much as 150-200% load for a short time before losing contact. Everything is a compromise in the system. Trouble free never go out, you have a tough time fusing it within a gnats *** to protect it.

My opinion, run a voltmeter. Cars have survived for DECADES with them without the charge path cutting into the passenger compartment. Have at it.

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

Well Not reading all the BS here is what I know is a fact. The black wire and the red wire that go to the amp meter. I have always connected the two behind the dash when needing the start the car with the cluster out.

That is bypassing the amp gauge and it still charges because the car will run without the battery connected after starting it.

What would be the difference doing it under the hood instead of under the dash. Still a bypass

What would be the difference? One bypasses the ammeter only, does nothing to address the real weakness in this original charging system, the charge path Packard terminals in the bulkhead connector. The other bypass discussed/promoted here, the direct alternator to battery heavy gauge wire, bypasses the entire charge path and circumvents/defeats the as designed circuit protection, exposes all stock unfused wiring to 130+ amps in the event of a short, assuming there is any circuit protection on the shunt wire, direct wire without circuit protection exposes this stock wiring and components to the un-checked full current potential of the battery in the event of a short. Big difference.

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

Ammeters are a garbage gauge that provides little useful info. Ammeters in a vacuum (as in our cars) without another informational gauge is meh.

Couldn’t disagree more. For same reasons you list for other types of vehicles. Any serious monitoring of DC circuits involves ammeters of some type.

Ever get in a car with an ammeter, it rides along the zero line, a couple hours later the car is dead. Fun stuff.

Nope, never have. A centered needle indicates a normal balanced charging system; a fully charged battery and all loads being handled by the alternator. If you are experiencing a discharge condition and the ammeter is not showing it, you have other problems going on.

Anyone that says that an ammeter/charging system in a muscle era Chrysler has never caused an issue is fibbing to you. The factory fusible link does such a wonderful job of protecting the system as well. Please don't make me laugh at that. It allows plenty to melt before it sacrifices itself. Fuses and breakers will run at as much as 150-200% load for a short time before losing contact. Everything is a compromise in the system. Trouble free never go out, you have a tough time fusing it within a gnats *** to protect it.

Back to the fibbing comment again? Never saw any Chrysler passenger car ammeter with correctly maintained connections, a correctly loaded charging system, and operated within its design limits “cause” any issue. They don’t spontaneously combust for no reason when not abused. That’s a myth being perpetuated here once more.

 

[crackedback]

Packards are part of the Charging system. Ammeters in the system at all are the other issue. You single in on the ammeter, never my main concern, never has been. It sure is a trigger point for some to even mention it.

Seen cars that have never had the cluster out in 40+ years. Always qualifiers.

I do things different. Back to ignore. Have at it.

 

[kewen300]

The only way to know if the battery is charging is with an ammeter.

But its common for people to use the term charging as a way of saying the alternator not working or working. That's fine in some situations but in this situation it confuses things.

It will not shut off with the key.
Go back and redraw your diagram. It should look the similar to the diagram I posted above. The J1 wire is the feed to the ignition switch. Follow it back to the battery positive post. Q3 to the fuse box, same thing.

if you read voltage in different locations along a current path, it will show the voltage at each of those points. If the voltage is lower at a downstream point, then there was resistance in between the two locations. Voltage difference = Current x Resistance.

Shouldn't be any voltage drop across the ammeter. It's just a big plate with two studs pressed in. Unless the studs get loose or there is corrossion, there is no reisistance to speak of.

Ok so going through everything. While installing the radio. I need a 12v constant, a 12v ignition/accessory, and a ground(easy wire). Which wires would i need to tap into. When I first hooked it up I tapped the red wire(j1) coming off the battery, and I used the existing accessory plug from the old radio(x12a). Should I use the yellow(s2) wire for the 12v constant?...... the voltage reading is fluctuating at the same location as the motor runs.

It does appear the ammeter is working. Maintains a vertical position until I put a load on it such as turn the head lights on. It may be just because the battery was low or the radio is wired wrong but I did notice when I turned the headlights on and saw the ammeter dip I also noticed my radio shut off and restart.

I tested the vehicle not running but the car in run position(didnt charge battery before):
Battery 11v
Starter relay lug 11v
Blue wire on voltage regulator 10v
Green wire on regulator 3v
Green wire at alternator 3v
Black wire at alternator 0v
Ammeter each lug grounded 10v

I then jumped the car and cranked it over. I tested the black battery leg on the alternator and got various results. It ranged from 14.8v at the high down the 2.1v at the low I noticed on the meter.

I tested the starter relay next and got a 14.3v at the high and a 9.8v at the low fluctuating meter read.

I tested the battery and it was not reading anything higher than 12v at time of running without the jump and continued to drop.

At this point im considering the alternator may have **** the bed. Because after disconnecting the radio from the power. And letting the car idle for a bit while running tests. I turned the vehicle off and tried to turn back over while receiving only the low voltage clicks. The battery still did not charge.

As a note I disconnected the A-H block and V-Z block i cleaned up the pins and put some dielectric grease on each on.

So in conclusion I believe I have tested all of the systems to charge. Battery, starting relay, firewall block, ammeter, alternator, voltage regulator.

 

[Mattax]

Ok so going through everything. While installing the radio. I need a 12v constant, a 12v ignition/accessory, and a ground(easy wire). Which wires would i need to tap into. When I first hooked it up I tapped the red wire(j1) coming off the battery, and I used the existing accessory plug from the old radio(x12a). Should I use the yellow(s2) wire for the 12v constant?...... the voltage reading is fluctuating at the same location as the motor runs.

I understand now why you connected to the J1.
S2 is only hot when the key is in start.
I would think the easiest place to draw constant power would be the fuse box. The Q3 feed goes to a two fuse bus. You may find an extra terminal on the buss that is open. But what you did should be OK too.

I tested the vehicle not running but the car in run position(didnt charge battery before):
Battery 11v
Starter relay lug 11v
Blue wire on voltage regulator 10v
Green wire on regulator 3v
Green wire at alternator 3v
Black wire at alternator 0v
Ammeter each lug grounded 10v

With the key in run and the radio disconnected, the only things drawing power should be the ignition (points closed or an ECU) and the alternator field. Since power is coming from the battery, the ammeter should show slight discharge. Something around 5 amps.

Those voltage readings indicate
the alternator output wire isn't connected,
there is some resistance between the junction on the starter relay and the ammeter
the voltage regulator has high resistance (at 11 volts it should be full fielding)

Lets put these on the diagram.
Voltage only drops when current flows through resistance.
We know approximately the current with key in run.

With only 5 amps flowing through, dropping 1 Volt between the starter relay and the ammeter indicates some resistance.
If the readings are accurate, that resistance is probably in one of the connections. Less likely, it could also be a damaged fusible link.

There is no drop between the ammeter and the voltage regulator, so that's good.
But then there is a 7 volt drop through the regulator. That's no good. If its a electro-mechanical regulator, you can open them up and see if something is wrong. There's a couple fusible links - one might might be burned out, or something is keeping the arm with the points from completing the direct feed.

The other measurement that is troubling is at the alternator's Batt terminal. That should have read 10 Volts. So that indicates a break in the line. Most likely at the firewall.

 

[67Dart273]

What would be the difference? One bypasses the ammeter only, does nothing to address the real weakness in this original charging system, the charge path Packard terminals in the bulkhead connector. The other bypass discussed/promoted here, the direct alternator to battery heavy gauge wire, bypasses the entire charge path and circumvents/defeats the as designed circuit protection, exposes all stock unfused wiring to 130+ amps in the event of a short. Big difference.

That is exactly why YOU are supposed to be certain that it IS protected.

You don't know what you are talking about. Your rose colored glasses have become all smoked up with burning plastic insulation.

And as I've said plenty of times, inherent problems with full current ammeters IS EXACTLY WHY All three majors went to external shunt ammeters, eventually, and then onwards, went with voltmeters.

 

[kewen300]

I understand now why you connected to the J1.
S2 is only hot when the key is in start.
I would think the easiest place to draw constant power would be the fuse box. The Q3 feed goes to a two fuse bus. You may find an extra terminal on the buss that is open. But what you did should be OK too.
View attachment 1716410948


With the key in run and the radio disconnected, the only things drawing power should be the ignition (points closed or an ECU) and the alternator field. Since power is coming from the battery, the ammeter should show slight discharge. Something around 5 amps.

Those voltage readings indicate
the alternator output wire isn't connected,
there is some resistance between the junction on the starter relay and the ammeter
the voltage regulator has high resistance (at 11 volts it should be full fielding)

Lets put these on the diagram.
Voltage only drops when current flows through resistance.
We know approximately the current with key in run.
View attachment 1716410953

With only 5 amps flowing through, dropping 1 Volt between the starter relay and the ammeter indicates some resistance.
If the readings are accurate, that resistance is probably in one of the connections. Less likely, it could also be a damaged fusible link.

There is no drop between the ammeter and the voltage regulator, so that's good.
But then there is a 7 volt drop through the regulator. That's no good. If its a electro-mechanical regulator, you can open them up and see if something is wrong. There's a couple fusible links - one might might be burned out, or something is keeping the arm with the points from completing the direct feed.

The other measurement that is troubling is at the alternator's Batt terminal. That should have read 10 Volts. So that indicates a break in the line. Most likely at the firewall.

Couple of things to note it is an electric ignition no points.
All of these measurements were taken with the radio still hooked up.
The voltage regulator "should" be a solid state. It is brand new(first part i changed) it is a black standard ignition 12v 15amp part# vr101 from O'Reilly when hooked up I hit both wires with some dielectric grease.

 

[Mattax]

Chrysler ECU doesn't draw a lot of current. Based on your test, how it is tapped in isn't effecting the voltage drop in the line. So doesn't impact the analysis.
Radio hooked up but if its off shouldn't add load.
If its its a solid state regulator, then its probably no good.
Confirm that.
1. Slow charge battery using a charger.
2. Have a way to jumper the regulator with a short wire (connect the J2A to the R3)
Start the car and get it to slow idle.
Connect the J2A to the R3.
The ammeter should show charging and the alternator's output should be found through all the feeds.

With the regulator bypassed, the rotor is producing it's maximum electromagnetic field without a break. System voltage will increase with rpm. So make the test, don't rev the engine, and disconnect.

Before doing that, I would hunt down why the alternator's batt terminal is not showing battery voltage. You can do that with the key off. Heck you you can do that with the battery disconnected. Do a continuity and a resistance test.

 

[66Valiant528]

So just to be clear a bulkhead connector bypass is removing the Packard connector weak spot at the firewall and running a wire connecting those 2 wires, one outside one inside, with a solid piece. And as far as ammeter bypass, I have just removed one wire from the ammeter and connected it to the other stud with the other wire. Now the juice doesn't go through the ammeter. Not sure if this will help the OP but correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

That is exactly why YOU are supposed to be certain that it IS protected.

You don't know what you are talking about. Your rose colored glasses have become all smoked up with burning plastic insulation.

And as I've said plenty of times, inherent problems with full current ammeters IS EXACTLY WHY All three majors went to external shunt ammeters, eventually, and then onwards, went with voltmeters.

...and then run a LARGE GAUGE fused or breaker protected bypass direct from the alternator to the battery.

Well it sounds like you never heard of Kirchhoff's current law and the current divider rule. You can’t wire circuit protection devices in parallel without increasing the total circuit protection for any part of both paths. Even with circuit protection on your heavy gauge shunt wire it still exposes all the factory underdash 12ga unfused wiring and components to more current in the event of a short than they can handle safely. Does nothing to address the factory loads still being drawn thought the bulkhead Packards, weakest link in the entire system. Someone should demonstrate how that would apply to this particular charging system in a video for those who don’t, or refuse to, understand.



“Kirchhoff's current law (KCL) states that the algebraic sum of the currents entering and leaving an area, system, or junction is zero. In other words, the sum of the currents entering an area, system, or junction must equal the sum of the currents leaving the area, system, or junction.”

 

[72RoadRunnerGTX]

So just to be clear a bulkhead connector bypass is removing the Packard connector weak spot at the firewall and running a wire connecting those 2 wires, one outside one inside, with a solid piece. And as far as ammeter bypass, I have just removed one wire from the ammeter and connected it to the other stud with the other wire. Now the juice doesn't go through the ammeter. Not sure if this will help the OP but correct me if I'm wrong.

For those who believe the ammeter will eventually spontaneously “burn out” or short to the cluster frame for no reason whatsoever, moving one ammeter lead to the other ammeter stud will still leave you exposed to the mythical “spontaneously combusting ammeter” syndrome. Would need to remove both connectors and connect them together, insulate well if that’s what you want to do.

Yes, the bulkhead bypass eliminates the Packard terminals in the charge path at the bulkhead connect. Also known as the factory “fleet bypass”, as the factory did so on some fleet production with higher output alternators.

The bypass the OP started with here is known as the “shunt wire” bypass or “under hood” bypass, direct alternator to battery. It comes with a very serious safety concerns when performed as most describe who do not understand how circuit protection devices wired in parallel work and how this bypass alters, or removes, all stock designed circuit protection.

 

[Mattax]

This issue here is the proof in pudding.
@kewen300 followed this popular advice. Look what happened.
And now I'm the only one helping him.
The problem wasn't the ammeter.

Ammeters were used because they could be made small, relatively robust and were not too expensive.
They were standard on vehicles for decades.

They continued to be a popular aftermarket product well into the 1970s for cars and trucks did not have them.
This gage set may be from the early 1980s.

Here's another

Chevy and others didn't supply much instrumentation on their basic models. They saw their owners less as 'drivers' and more as operators who just wanted the car to start and go where they drove. They got a fuel gage, IIRC a temperature gage, and the rest was warning lights (aka idiot lights). Only Chevy products and GM's divisions that targetted 'drivers' got full instrumentation.

The development of cheap, robust, small voltmeters that could be put in vehicles seems to have begun mid-1980s. Sometimes we forget how good we have it now in terms of affordable handheld multimeters.

 

[Mattax]

Also known as the factory “fleet bypass”, as the factory used did so on some fleet production with higher output alternators.

Others version bypassing the firewall multiconnector came on cars with rear electric defrosters.

An additional problem with the Chicken Little syndrome is that not all A-bodies used the 1/4" spade terminals for the power feed connections at the firewall. 1963 and 1965 used ring terminals. Even so, we have examples posted here showing they too can get overheated and fail when abused.

Finally, 1975 and 1976 standard A-body wiring splits the power on the engine side of the firewall. '76 uses a shunted ammeter, '75 does not. So even though they use 1/4" spades, the max loads on those circuits are reduced.

 

[kewen300]

Chrysler ECU doesn't draw a lot of current. Based on your test, how it is tapped in isn't effecting the voltage drop in the line. So doesn't impact the analysis.
Radio hooked up but if its off shouldn't add load.
If its its a solid state regulator, then its probably no good.
Confirm that.
1. Slow charge battery using a charger.
2. Have a way to jumper the regulator with a short wire (connect the J2A to the R3)
Start the car and get it to slow idle.
Connect the J2A to the R3.
The ammeter should show charging and the alternator's output should be found through all the feeds.

With the regulator bypassed, the rotor is producing it's maximum electromagnetic field without a break. System voltage will increase with rpm. So make the test, don't rev the engine, and disconnect.

Before doing that, I would hunt down why the alternator's batt terminal is not showing battery voltage. You can do that with the key off. Heck you you can do that with the battery disconnected. Do a continuity and a resistance test.

Didn't want to tinker too much with it today due to the rain. However I did go through and try to clean up firewall connections and alternator terminal make sure that was tight.

So, the battery is currently at 12.2v
When testing the alternator with the car completely off I have 5.5v going to the alternator battery leg.

 

[kewen300]

Didn't want to tinker too much with it today due to the rain. However I did go through and try to clean up firewall connections and alternator terminal make sure that was tight.

So, the battery is currently at 12.2v
When testing the alternator with the car completely off I have 5.5v going to the alternator battery leg.

In addition I just tested with car in run position:
Battery 10.6
Blue wire @ voltage regulator 9.8
Green wire @ regulator 7.8
Black battery wire @ alternator 5.6
Green wire @ alternator 7.8
Ammeter 10.2 on red 10.0 on black

Im attaching some photos of the alternator (the connector at the alt looks rough but its tight. I have to replace it)

 

[Mattax]

So, the battery is currently at 12.2v
When testing the alternator with the car completely off I have 5.5v going to the alternator battery leg.

Something is wrong.
When everything is off, the voltage should be the same throughout.

Imagine this was a compressed air system, or the water supply for your house.
When all of the valves are closed, the pressure is the same throughout the system.
The only way there can be a pressure drop is when a valve is open and either there is not enough volume available or the flow path is constricted. If its constricted it will be high pressure on one side and low pressure on the other.

So, the battery is currently at 12.2v

Battery 10.6
Blue wire @ voltage regulator 9.8
Green wire @ regulator 7.8
Black battery wire @ alternator 5.6
Green wire @ alternator 7.8
Ammeter 10.2 on red 10.0 on black

That battery needs charging. it should come up to at least 12.5 volts, 12.8 v if it was in really good shape.

What did the ammeter read with key in run? Anything odd?
Thge measurements are showing the same as the last time. I wouldn't worry about .1 or .2 volts - That may be within the margin of error when probing etc.

If you want to try to get more accurate, especially an anolog meter that requires choosing a scale, measure the drop directly instad voltage to ground. In other words one probe on the high voltage location (battery in this case) and the second probe at a location downstream. This also eliminates differences in grounding.

I've got work the next couple days, so may not be checking in.

Problem might be at the ring termnal. Those squeeze on auto store replacements aren't great. You may find the wire is loose right there. Original looked like this, but I'm not aware of a way to replicate that seal. Best you can do is a good crimp and heat shrink tubing.

The wires and connections that should be looked at are circled and highlighted. But its the R6 wire and the regulator that your test is pointing to as problems.

 

[Mattax]

You may be able to take some strain off the wiring by routing the harness on the inside of thev alve cover rather than over the headers.
I'm not sure I have any photos of '66 engine bay but someone here probably does. it will give you an idea of how it was supported originally. @toolmanmike


Some other info you may find helpful.
Removing the connectors. question on the main harness plug on firewall

Discussions on cleaning here:
Cleaning bulkhead connectors
I also like De-oxit and if needed on heavily oxidized terminals, I'll scrub the metal using fiberglass cleaning brushes that look like mechanical pencils.

Do a search for threads on crimpers and crimping wire terminals if you find that is needed.

Charging Battery with Alternator - Warning

We've discussed this here more than a few times. Usually about how easy it can be to cook the battery or overloading the charge wiring. Here's another reason. "Any attempt to charge a low battery by the alternator will result in stator windings burning out" ebay item # 222689173585 This is...

www.forabodiesonly.com

 

[Dana67Dart]

hooked up I hit both wires with some dielectric grease.

Dielectric grease is an insulator. It is NOT designed to be put on a connection before it is connected. If you want to put it on the connection AFTER it's connected to keep moisture from getting to the terminals then that is ok.

 

[67Dart273]

Well it sounds like you never heard of Kirchhoff's current law and the current divider rule. You can’t wire circuit protection devices in parallel without increasing the total circuit protection for any part of both paths. Even with circuit protection on your heavy gauge shunt wire it exposes all the factory underdash 12ga unfused wiring and components to more current in the event of a short than they can handle safely. Does nothing to address the factory loads still being drawn thought the bulkhead Packards, weakest link in the entire system. Someone should demonstrate how that would apply to this particular charging system in a video for those who don’t, or refuse to, understand.



“Kirchhoff's current law (KCL) states that the algebraic sum of the currents entering and leaving an area, system, or junction is zero. In other words, the sum of the currents entering an area, system, or junction must equal the sum of the currents leaving the area, system, or junction.”

Screw off and stop writing bullshit about stuff that I never said. It might just be that I know more about current flow, whether quoting Kirchhoff or someone else.

 

[kewen300]

Something is wrong.
When everything is off, the voltage should be the same throughout.

Imagine this was a compressed air system, or the water supply for your house.
When all of the valves are closed, the pressure is the same throughout the system.
The only way there can be a pressure drop is when a valve is open and either there is not enough volume available or the flow path is constricted. If its constricted it will be high pressure on one side and low pressure on the other.




That battery needs charging. it should come up to at least 12.5 volts, 12.8 v if it was in really good shape.

What did the ammeter read with key in run? Anything odd?
Thge measurements are showing the same as the last time. I wouldn't worry about .1 or .2 volts - That may be within the margin of error when probing etc.

If you want to try to get more accurate, especially an anolog meter that requires choosing a scale, measure the drop directly instad voltage to ground. In other words one probe on the high voltage location (battery in this case) and the second probe at a location downstream. This also eliminates differences in grounding.

I've got work the next couple days, so may not be checking in.

Problem might be at the ring termnal. Those squeeze on auto store replacements aren't great. You may find the wire is loose right there. Original looked like this, but I'm not aware of a way to replicate that seal. Best you can do is a good crimp and heat shrink tubing.
View attachment 1716411421

The wires and connections that should be looked at are circled and highlighted. But its the R6 wire and the regulator that your test is pointing to as problems.
View attachment 1716411430

DAMN BULK HEAD CONNECTION!!
Upon doing a more extensive inspection of the R6 wire at the bulk head I noticed it was corroded beyond belief inside the plastic housing. To the point that I cannot get the wire out without cutting. Sprayed cleaner and worked at it about. Finally got same current with the battery in the run position at the R6 terminal on the alternator. I used a different battery as the battery for the car is charging. I used a deep cell boat battery. Starting volts was 12.3v when off. Car in run battery was at 11.8. I had 11.4 at the alternator.
Next step turn car on: turned it over and measured.
Battery stayed at 11.8v the bulk head connector stayed at 11.4 and the alternator did not go higher than 11.6
I attempted to give some rpm and nothing changed.

This weekend I and going to work on getting that tooth out of the bulkhead and install a new fuseable link.

Would this lack of volts at the alternator indicate a bad alternator? I need to remove it anyways to change the fuel pump.

 

[Mattax]

DAMN BULK HEAD CONNECTION!!
Upon doing a more extensive inspection of the R6 wire at the bulk head I noticed it was corroded beyond belief inside the plastic housing. To the point that I cannot get the wire out without cutting. Sprayed cleaner and worked at it about. Finally got same current with the battery in the run position at the R6 terminal on the alternator. I used a different battery as the battery for the car is charging. I used a deep cell boat battery. Starting volts was 12.3v when off. Car in run battery was at 11.8. I had 11.4 at the alternator.
Next step turn car on: turned it over and measured.
Battery stayed at 11.8v the bulk head connector stayed at 11.4 and the alternator did not go higher than 11.6
I attempted to give some rpm and nothing changed.

This weekend I and going to work on getting that tooth out of the bulkhead and install a new fuseable link.

Would this lack of volts at the alternator indicate a bad alternator? I need to remove it anyways to change the fuel pump.

Not surprising. It's pretty cool that these simple tests can narrow down where to look.

Let's see where you're at.
Car in run battery was at 11.8. I had 11.4 at the alternator.
So this seems to be a voltage drop (resistance) between the battery and the main splice.

Next step turn car on: turned it over and measured.
Does this mean engine running?
Even so, then its running on battery power.
What was the ammeter showing ?

Would this lack of volts at the alternator indicate a bad alternator?

No. We need to find out of the alternator's rotor was getting power. If it wasn't getting power, then it won't generate electricity.

 

[Mattax]

Would this lack of volts at the alternator indicate a bad alternator?

No. We need to find out of the alternator's rotor was getting power. If it wasn't getting power, then it won't generate electricity.

This test showed that electricity is able to flow without resistance from the battery's bulkhead connection all the way to the regulator's input terminal.

So the next test I would do is bypass the regulator.
Unless there is a short in the regulator, the wires can be left connected to the regulator. If you have a wire with alligator clips, clip one to each terminal. Assuming there is no issue with the alternator's field circuit, current will flow direct through the rotor when the key is on.

Almost as soon as the engine is running, the alternator should begin to produce power.

 

[Mattax]

Main harness routing as it was originally done.
Spark plug wires should all be clipped to the valve covers with whitish insulators.

'67 was similar.

 

[LST46]

I strongly recommend that anyone who thinks the "ammeter bypass" actually accomplishes anything should watch several of the youtube video's made by @72RoadRunnerGTX regarding the ammeter bypass. He explains why the bypass has practically no value and introduces new vulnerabilities to the electrical system, and he explains the likely reasons why this bypass originated (ie when and for what vehicles, which are not our cars).



I think he's made about 6 videos on this topic, covering this topic from every angle.

I haven't watched the video but the ammeter bypass can possibly help because 1. Ammeter's themselves have been known to burn up. When that happens you lose power to the dash. 2. Connections at the bulkhead commonly burn up also causing all power to everything to drop out. This is especially a problem when someone replaces a lower output alternator with a high amperage alternator. Practically every bulkhead I've seen in an older Mopar was burned/toasted to some degree