Well folks, I'm not sure what I did and I suspect I still have a hidden problem somewhere, so am looking for some good advice. I re-wired my '53 a month or so ago. Have had some strange problems. I followed the wiring instructions to a 't'. Converted to 12 volts. Bought a new AM/FM/Cassette radio that mounts in the dash hole from Classic Parts of America. Followed their instructions to a 't' as well and I've done my share of installing radios, so I know pretty much how to do it. However, the battery has gone dead a few times while sitting with the negative terminal disconnected. I'm at the point where I'm working to fire this truck up after 6+ years ot restoration. So, yesterday while working to get it to TDC for distributor installation, I found the battery dead once again. I put the charger on it and turned it on. Heard a crackle and looked inside the cab. Smoke was coming from the tape deck portion of the radio. I'm guessing it is toast and I haven't a clue why this happened. I need someone with some electrical expertise to tell me why the radio would get fried and also what would be causing the battery to drain power while the negative terminal is disconnected. I don;t know where to start diagnosing the problem. Any help would be much appreciated. Sure made short work of a $200 radio. I know it worked, too, as I had it on after I installed it and listened to some tunes while the battery was up.
