Had a major electrical fire. Voltage Regulator melted down completely, wiring between Voltage regulator and Ballast Resistor cooked and wiring between Ballast Resistor and firewall plug melted about half way between.
I have been using a Solid State(?) regulator(not mechanical) and have not had a single problem until this. The ballast resistor is original to the car(1964). I have a 90 amp alternator with 02 wire running directly to the battery with 50 amp fuses at each end.

I suspect the Ballast Resistor, but I would appreciate any input or suggestions, especially if this has happened to you before.-Thanks, Dan

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1964 Dart GT

No, the ballast resistor is not it unless it just got hot and set something near it on fire. The ballast almost fail open, not shorted, and even if it shorted, the coil resistance is in series (unless it shorted to the body, but the VR would not be effected). And the ballast does not feed directly to the VR; it is fed in parallel with the VR from the same point through the bulkhead connector.

From your symptom descriptions, the problem sounds to have been in the VR shorting out internally. That would smoke the wires to the VR and ballast and the wire over to the bulkhead connector. Sounds like the wire from the bulkhead connector was the fuse for that circuit. This comes from the ignition switch so inspect the wires in and out of the ignition switch and its connections vary carefully for signs of heat or melting. The only fusing in this ares is the fusible link from the start relay big lug to the firewall connection.

And if this is a pre 1970 car with the original configuration of regulator (even if it is solid state) then the field in the alternator could have shorted and caused the VR to fail shorted in a double chain of failures. So the alternator filed is suspect. What year and make/model of car?

When you say 02 wire, do you mean 2 gage wire?

The car is a 1964 Dart GT with a stock 225. Yes I meant 2 gauge. The alternator test fine. I replaced the ballast resistor and put the original VR back on. The wiring from the ignition is fine, and the wire going from the ballast resistor to the bulkhead connection is only damaged half way

If the Voltage Regulator shorted out, that would cause the wires to burn?

My searches so far do not show alot of choices for EarlyA wiring harnesses.1967 seems to be a cut-off? Why?

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1964 Dart GT

My guess would be demand. the 67-up Barracudas and Darts are probably more popular due to the GSS, hemi cars, and other "replicable" muscle cars. THe good news is that the 66 and earlier cars have incredibly simple wiring. If I remember correctly, my old 64 Valiant had something like five fuses. Re wiring with upgraded components would be a breeze. I suggest using this as an opportunity to upgrade your wiring with a true ground loop circuit, improved weatherproof connectors, and relays.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Re-wiring with upgraded components was my first thought, but this car is my daily driver right now, and best case scenario would be a weekend replacement.
I replaced the Voltage Regulator with an old one I had, replaced the Ballast Resistor with a new one from local autoparts store, and replaced the burnt wires. How warm do Voltage Regulators usually get? after driving about 30 minutes this morning, it was warm, but I could leave my hand on it. The ballast resistor always seemed to get Hot.

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1964 Dart GT

O.K., I will take Full Blame for almost burning my car up! Went back and read the info. that came with the (Solid State) Voltage Regulator, and it says "do not exceed 65 amp alternator", mine is 90 amps.

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1964 Dart GT

www.evanswiring.com for a new wiring harness (you have to ask them; it might not be on their site).

Update to a "dual field" alternator (I have a few new Chrysler units left, I think) and appropriate good-quality flat-pack type voltage regulator. Evans can build the provisions for this into your harness.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

"flat-pack type voltage regulator" Please explain more.

I have a dual field (Bosch) 90 amp alternator, and I have not had any issues with it. I will call Evans and see what they can do for me. Thanks!

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1964 Dart GT

Evans lists a 65 A Body (small or big block) engine harness. How much different would it be from a 1964? ( I am at work and can't call them right now.)

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1964 Dart GT

The wires that go through the firewall for the battery connection into the inside harness and the alternator into the ammeter are different for the '65. BUT the good news is that the '65 is the desriable one. It puts those heavy current wires onto large lugs through the firewall and not the more problematic stab-on (Packard 56) type of connectors. But you will have to change the firewall connector bodies themselves; I think those are available.

It would be worth your while to get both 64 and 65 schematics from www.mymopar.com in their section with wiring schematics so you can see the differences.

'83-up Chrysler regulator (some will say "70-up". No, the later alternators have a higher rotor draw which demands the later regulator capable of handling it.)
Those are fine. But you need the late Chrysler regulator to control it without making problems. Get a real (Chrysler) one from Old Car Parts Northwest -- make sure to specify one that has a part number that starts with "4".
Email them now or call them later and ask for the harness you actually need.

The thing about heavy-current wires in '64 vs. '65 is irrelevant to your situation because you've already routed the main line directly between alternator and battery, so there's very little current going through the bulkhead.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks All! I appreciate the help!

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1964 Dart GT

Not true if the wiring is such that the old alternaotr path into the dash is gone; I can't tell if this is the case or not. If that old alternator to ammeter wire is now gone, then the battery side feed into the dash harness through one of the '65 harness design's heavy lugs will help to reduce voltage drop of all that is fed from there. That includes about 90% of the car's electrical loads: the heavy loads for the blower and headlights (includes all front and rear lights) and the feed into the ignition switch and just about everything except the starter load are being fed through this point. So having the 65's heavy lug on that main power feed line is a good improvement, much better than the single spade lug. It essentially provides one of the Mad Electrical improvements in a factory wiring configuration. The OP may also have accessories fed from the system inside the car that will draw current through this point; I would assume so with a 90A alternator!

No extras (yet), I even removed the AM radio. The 90 amp alternator was the best (fit) I could find locally (NAPA). Someday, after I get everything mechanically like I want, I will probably add a stereo, but nothing extravagant.

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1964 Dart GT

Yeah, it is.
The half-baked idiocy on that site is not an "improvement" in any real sense of the word.

Y'know, nm9, I quit posting on this site some time ago because I got tired of trying to clean up the messes made by people who were sometimes right, often wrong, and yet always very certain of themselves. People who make random guesses about turn signal circuits and single-bulb dashboard turn signal indicator lights, for example, or give wrong advice about carburetors or give other wrong advice about carburetors or make stuff up about wiring harnesses. I want to thank you for reminding me that was a good decision—I'm going to revert to it now.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.