Sudden Loss of All Electrical Power

Drove my '67 Satellite 50 miles to the dragstrip today. No issues on the drive there. On my first pass, right after I let off the gas in the shutdown area, I lost all electrical power. I smelled burnt wiring smell and disconnected the battery after I pulled off the track. I checked the battery connections, the connection from the battery stud on the alternator, the starter relay connections, I took the bulkhead connections off and cleaned them with contact cleaner and made sure they had a good connection. The battery is a newer Napa battery and it shows 12.5 volts. I'm stumped any ideas? Thanks!

Probably melted the fuseable link. That will be easy to find and replace but it isn't the real problem. You have a dead short somewhere that caused the link to blow so you'll need to find that before you can hook things up. You'll just have to get your volt meter out and start looking.

Check the connections on the ammeter. Next get a test light or preferably a voltmeter and start chasing it. Don't overlook the ground cables/connections

EDIT: I just remembered, years ago I fried an alternator at the track, If by chance your's shorted internally it would take out the fusible link

My 66 Satellite used to do that.. it's a bad connection at the bulk head for me.. its sketchy at best, but, I tape the two top banks on the bulk head together after they're plugged in and it applies contact in the right spot so I don't lose power.. lol. That bulkhead showed signs of getting hot when I bought the car.. my half assed tape repair has been holding up for 5 yrs now. Lucky I guess.

That "fix" will bite you in the backside sooner or later

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.

You should be able to buy fusible link in most auto parts stores. I think I paid like $6 for a small roll of it. Cut it to length and use what ever connectors you need. Remember, Classic Industries is selling a $1 piece of fusible link and 50 cents worth of connectors for that price. You can do it yourself for a fraction of that. All the extra money they charge must be for cutting the wire and crimping on the connectors. I'm in the wrong business!

Also, fusible link comes in different amp ratings. When I bought mine, the fusible link came with different insulation colors, according to amp rating. As for the plastic insulator, you might get lucky and find something at the parts store or you might look for something similar in a salvage yard.

Same thing happened to me last fall, driving home from a car show. Car just shut down completely, while driving at 35 mph. Found the fuseible link wire by the bulkhead, burned in two.... and had to replace the link (obviously) starter relay, and the starter ( with a brand new unit) itself.

Link for insulator

Fusible Link
If one end of the link terminated inside the bulkhead, the best route is to buy a connector already made up.
There should be a couple suppliers.

Looking at the '67 Plymouth FSM, the wire labled A1C-16DBL is the fusible link.
They show it going from the battery connection on the starter relay to the bulkhead connector.
Maybe that's so, or there may be another connector in between. That's the way my '67 Barracuda is done.
Another reason I'm guessing the B-bod diagram is missing a connector is that the battery feed wire sequence jumps from A1A to A1C. So its probably an oversight in drawing. But you will know when you look at your car.

Alternator Insulator
If its just a wire terminal issue, then the protective cover above will work.
Take an ohmeter and measure for continuity between the output stud (BATT) and the alternator's case. If there is any continuity, then its internal.
I'll post some pictures of that in another post.

Assuming you have the original roundback, or a replacement roundback, be really careful if you open it up. Keep the stator windings with the back half. That way the soldered connectors won't get stressed. If the output stud is loose, you will have to open it up to tighten stud. Otherwise it will just spin,
Parts are pretty readily available. Not as easy is finding people who will press out and resolder diodes, but not impossible. I think you can install a new cap and output stud without breaking the soldered connections between the stator and the diodes. I haven't done it, so can't tell you positively yes or no.
Brushes and brush insulators are easy whichever type of alternator you have,

Parts Illustration for a roundback.
https://www.aspwholesale.com/images/exp_views/CH-RD_BCK.jpg

cap with output stud for roundbacks.
https://www.aspwholesale.com/alternator-parts/chrysler/capacitors.html

Insulators
https://www.aspwholesale.com/alternator-parts/chrysler/insulators.html

Thanks for all the great information on this thread everyone!!!