Well, I'd got it running (thanks Art & volvofromheck for pointing me at the pick-up coil), with some side-tracks... now I've a new problem.

I've a ~20 minute commute along the interstate to work, with a short interval of street driving on each end.

During the day, it's fine, but when I come home at night, with the headlights on... when I get off the off-ramp, all my dash warning lights start randomly flashing when I hit the brakes, and then randomly along the way. (alternator brighter than the others). Sometimes bumps, sometimes slowing down, but it's fine again in the morning. The engine stumbled and nearly stalled when I hit stop-and go traffic at 3 AM yesterday, (more abrupt than my usual semi-coast from 65, and the engine was hunting pretty badly according to the tach) or so it felt like, but then it seemed to be okay when I made it the last mile to my usual off-ramp. (Something about extended high RPMs with the lights on?) Voltage is ~13.5 with every possible load, ~14.4 at idle with nothing on, at start and end of journey. Other symptom is that if I crank the heater blower full on, the alternator light will flare. (Not to full brightness, but it flares, then goes out again.) I'm not sure if I see a faint ghost of the alternator light when I use my turn signals, and the headlights pulse in a way barely noticeable when aimed at the garage wall after I get home. I've one of Dave Barton's adjustable external voltage regulators on there, about 3 years old, Bosch 70 amp alternator put in at the same time.

I've checked the alternator case to negative battery post differential, .1-.2 V, alternator post to positive battery post differential, ~.7 V. The positive battery cable looks a little toasted and mangled (especially that smaller wire going to the headlights, and that wire was hot under the electrical tape, so I decided to replace it anyhow), I've a new aftermarket one on order to replace it. While I wait, is there anything else I should be looking at? All wires going to/from the alternator look tight and secure, but I haven't taken the belly pan off yet (a slow P/S leak makes that a messy job) to check where they run under the engine.

(I'm not even going to mention the level of confused fury I felt when I found out the engine replacement done about five years ago explains why my CIS system is apparently crazy... I don't have a hole in the block for the CIS system's coolant temp sensor with a ~77 engine in there now. Uhm, any options on bypassing that? It also jumps up to 3000 rpm's whenever I plug the IAC in, but I have gone over the vacuum system four times.)