67 k20 electrical problem.. help?

[Nick Goldsmith]

hi. I have a 67 k20 dump with what I think is an early eightys 250? last week it would not start which was unusual as I had used it a few days earlier. I charged it for awhile and then jumped it. It idled up to 190f but I had no power and could not rev the engine. I thought maybe the choke was stuck so with the engine still running I took off the air filter to check that. I just turned to put the air filter in the garage when there was a big flash and the battery blew up.

1. battery was dead after only sitting a few days.
2. charged battery w/ 10amp charger.
3. jupstarted.
4 idleing with no power.
5. battery blew up.


Chapter 2.
1.turned it over with no battery and jumper cables. juice went to distributer but no spark.
2. went to auto zone for free replacement battery. had alternater tested. tested good for charge and regulater.
3. bought new HEI distributer cap,rotor,coil and wires.
4. Put it all back togethr. no spark.
5. new condenser. no spark
6. new control module. fired up on first turn. let it warm up and drive arround the neghborhood for half an hour. Good power, less backfireing,sounds much better but kills battery. Not chargeing.
7. I notice that my clearance lights are melted. the clearance lights are on the same circuit that feeds the alternator. I test the feed from ignition to the alternator and it has no juice.
8. I assume the reason I am not charging now is because there is no juice going to the alternator?

My question now is why did my battery blow up and will it blow up again? I am kind of gun shy working under the hood with the battery connected right now! my theorys are...
1. the clearance lights short out killing the feed to the alternator causeing the dead battery? The battery blows up from chargeing and jumping ?
2. the battery blows up from some kind of feed back from the bad distributer while it is stressed out from jumping?.

3. The battery leaked a little on top(fact). the 30+ year old ignition wires threw a spark, battery blows up frying clearance lights and control module?

my best guess is the short happened first wihch is what resulted in the dead battery on day one. fairly clueless on what made it blow? What do I have to do to not get blown up again?
Thanks much for any help.
Nick