squareback alternator wiring in pre 70 car issue

BTW, I should repeat that those w/ a 1963 or 1965 car (any body, but not 1964), can keep their ammeter operational. The reason is that those bulkheads use thick "buss bars" to feed the large ALT and BAT wires thru. Of course, other-year cars can to the same by running dedicated thick wires thru, instead of the "57 terminals" which were used. The factory did that for some taxi/police orders (termed "fleet bypass"). Apparently, they decided the cheaper spade terminals would last thru the warranty for commoners, and most original owners back then bought a new car every 3 years (watch Mad Men), and the company didn't care what problems 2nd-hand purchasers (i.e. bottom-feeders) experienced. Seems the engineers realized the "melted bulkhead" problem in 1964, hence fixed for 1965, but probably an accountant nix'ed that for 1966+.

If you do keep your dash ammeter active, insure the ring terminal connections are solid, since corrosion or loose-ness (then melt-down) has been seen. If you upgrade to a higher output alternator, you would over-range the ammeter (i.e. smoke). I designed a diode-shunt bypass for my cars which progressively bypasses in the engine bay (see post), but most here couldn't follow that so just install a permanent shunt wire.