thanks for all the help guys. My gut still tells me this was a short on the engine side OR under the dash just on the main circuit for some reason.

I have finally gotten a feel for the OHM meter and will do some more checking.

BUT I will probably go with what Nacho said, clean the terminals I have, make sure they are sound, and just wire the red and black directly through the firewall. I like that wire set up by the way! Very slick. I will probably do that.

I will keep you posted, but it may not be until next week sometime until there is an update. Apparently we have a category 5 rainstorm coming. My wife thinks that preparing for the storm is more important than chasing wires and electrical shorts in my shop. I will have to agree with her.

I will give updates as soon as I can. Thanks again guys!!! I have learned a lot already!