Nate, which terminal are you checking when you get the 6-8 volt reading? If it's the big terminal on the back of the alternator, you've got a dirty connection somewhere between the battery and the alternator. That one should read the exact same voltage as at the battery posts, if you're hooked up correctly. Is there an ammeter in the dash, and does it work? With that much voltage drop, there has to be a loose or dirty connection for the main charging lead somewhere.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
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