It looks like the hard plastic insulator that goes around the alternator battery stud and between the battery wire eyelet connector and the alternator body disintegrated maybe causing the wire to short against the alternator housing. My fusible link is also fried/melted. Does anyone know of a source for the hard plastic insulator and also for the fusible links? Looking online I saw classicindustries has the fusible link for $29.95. I wonder if somewhere like Napa has them cheaper. Maybe I should also get my alternator tested.