Fusible link guage?

Well, I went down and bought some 14ga. fusible link wire and some butt connectors, and hooked it back up, bypassing the block connection.

I also disconnected the amp gauge and bolted and taped the two wires together to bypass it; the connections were a bit loose on the gauge, anyway.

Now, I have limited power to the cabin, i.e., the aftermarket gauges, radio, etc., all work. What I DON"T have is any power to the ignition switch, fuel pump, horn, etc.

Strange thing also: the headlights work on high-beam, but not low-beam, and the turn signals/parking lights work on either setting. I checked the headlight switch while I was in the dash, and it looked OK; it had been working previously, before all this happened yesterday.

Could the ballast resistor cause this? I haven't checked it yet....

Rob