[Chumley]

I just picked up a '72 Cutlass supreme a couple of weeks ago. Some of the wiring is a mess. The positive battery cable had a piece spliced on near the post, apparently a quick fix at some time. I went to start the engine after sitting about a week. The engine cranked kind of slow, like a Mopar, but usually would start. After about 2 minutes trying to start it, it sounded like it backfired through carb, and I noticed a little smoke come up through hood on battery side. I opened the hood and could smell hot wire. The positive cable was way hot, though not burning. I disconnected it, and heard some sizzling inside the battery. Today I pulled the positive cable, and it had a 12 gauge wire spliced into it at the solenoid terminal which went up to a relay on the firewall near the distributor, which had several other wires attached to it. Since I've had the car, the alternator light stays on, which it did previous to my acquiring the car. I noticed there is no wire connecting the alternator to the battery. Should this not be the case? I have a '72 Chevy truck and the positive cable has a 12 gauge wire going to the alternator. I do fairly well with wiring diagrams, but I just wanted to find out how that positive cable should be. An HEI distributor (GM) was also put in, so I know that's why the yellow resistor wire is cut off and just hanging. I'm probably going to have to replace the harnesses eventually, but I need this thing drivable in the meantime. Any input appreciated..................Chumley