Ammeter NEVER shows discharge

1970 Dart. Long ago after seeing all the horror stories I installed an aftermarket ammeter below the dash, hooked the wires from the ammeter in the cluster to it and everything has been fine for 20 years. I had the system overcharge, as shown on ammeter and voltage gauges (regulator went haywire), and it melted connections in the bulkhead connector. I installed new terminals in a new bulkhead connector, and replaced any damaged wire (very little). Now the ammeter works fine and the electrical system seems to work fine, but with one small issue: when you start the car the ammeter shows charge and slowly comes down, but the ammeter NEVER shows a discharge. You can turn on the ignition, without starting the engine, pull on the high beams, turn on every accessory and no discharge indication. I thought I toasted the aftermarket ammeter, but tried two others and get the same result.

Suggestions???
I think it depends on how you have wired the aftermarket ammeter. It sounds like the charging current from the alternator to the battery is going through the ammeter but the discharging current from the battery to the lights, ignition and accessories is not. There is no way to tell without knowing how everything involved is wired.