Re: I came home from work but the truck didn't
 

There is never a good time for breakdowns but they will happen every now and then.
Your new dist should take care of the engine electronics ok and it may even run a bit better too.
Now that burned wire deal. How's the alternator charging? Stuck voltage regulator maybe or is the under hood wiring harness in serious need of replacement?

Re: I came home from work but the truck didn't
 

I just reran those wires and everything is working great. Except for the leaks I just bought the alt. It is a 94 amp alt from an 84 Camaro 305 engine code "G" and just bought a battery that is meant for the battery holder and 200 CCA higher then the small thing I had in there. Got it trickle charging now since it killed the battery driving it home with that wire like that.

Re: I came home from work but the truck didn't
 

My Pop always told me the easiest way to find a short was look for smoke.:D

Re: I came home from work but the truck didn't
 

I did that when I was in the preschool of wiring. Installed my alarm in my car and was using a probe detector. Two wires I probed ended up touching later on and was smoking out the dash.