Headlight Problems

[Awann99]

The other day I was driving my 1969 gmc 1500. And the ammeter wire started melting the plastic around it. After a bit it stopped I parked the truck at a friends house and looked under and noticed that the header had melted the rubber away from the positive battery cable and was making contact with it. I decided to drive it home and the headlights started flickering ang then went out. I pulled over and now the lights only work on the passenger side, on the bright light setting. (They are still very dim) If I switch to regular all 4 lights don’t turn on. I suspected the voltage regulator got fried. Replaced it and nothing changed. I tried to start it and the battery was dead and the alinator isn’t charging the battery even though it’s a month old.
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[Steeveedee]

You probably burnt out the hot diodes in the alternator, and the low beam power wires are possibly burned, too.

[franken]

You should get a fusible link from the small + wire to the junction block on the fender. But that's sort of an after the disaster thing.
Lights work the same with the engine off and no regulator so it has nothing to do with lights.
Time to get a voltmeter and start troubleshooting one nightmare at a time.