thanks again

the connections you describe are all there. none of them would i describe as big or heavy, but they are adequately sized. i haven't had time to inspect the integrity of the individual connections though.

a buddy of mine suspects the starter has siezed. it think that is pretty unlikely but your tips should help diagnose that. actually when i connect the spare battery and press the starter switch i hear a little snap which sounds like a spark. the battery terminal leads aren't tightened down all the way due to frequent removal, so maybe the starter is siezed and the little gap around the terminal arcs instead of the starter spinning. just rambling there.

hopefully i'll get some time this weekend to figure things out.

a side note i'm confused about: i've read some posts around here referring to positive ground but there wasn't enough info for me to tell what vehicle was in question. mine has a cable going from the negative post of the battery directly to the frame. is that enough to say for sure it is negative ground?