Found my dads original 1971 duster!

This looks OK.
View attachment 1716268574
What was touching?

As far as the ammeter goes. Take it off and check the studs are tight and then test for resistance. It shouldn't have any measureable resistance. Compare to touching the meters probes together. That's about it for the meter. There's no electronics . Its just mechanical.

The fuel gage is a bit more complicated because of its dual function but for a guy who can do as much as you do I think you can tackle it too (if you want).
I’ll go take a picture of the stud that looked like it had been arced at some point