I temporarily installed a 307 in my 67 cutlass while I rebuild the 330. When I went to crank the 307 I heard a click from the starter and while holding the key to start, the fusible link from the relay on the fender fried. The 307 has a two wire starter so I taped off what I believe is the coil power wire(yellow) to the "R" terminal on the solenoid. Would that have anything to do with the fusible link going bad or does this seem like more of a grounding problem.

 

The bypass wire, unless shorting, should not have anything to do with your fusible link issue. It could have been a low battery as the lower voltage draws a higher amperage. It could be an issue with the cable to the starter shorting, a weak or bad starter, etc... The wheel well relay has a dual function, it is the horn relay and a power distribution block. So the issue may be something related to anything on the B+ circuit.

 

Ok thanks. I thought the battery might be suspect so I will have it load tested and go from there.

 

I found the problem. The 307 has a starter support/shroud and the lead for the "S" terminal was grounding out on it. She cranks like new now. Thanks for the help!!

 

Well done!