So my 77 has a problem and I don't even know where to start looking.. Friday on my way to work my charge light came on, I lost power to my stereo and dash stuff, then a couple seconds later I lost engine power. Pulled off the free way and When I'd turn the key on i didn't have any lights come on and didn't have the buzzing like I should. It would crank over like normal and fire up for a second then die out.. I replace my alternator since I had similar problems last time my alternate was going bad. I drove my truck a lot over the weekend without a single problem! Then Tuesday on my way to work I had the exact same situation happen again.. This time I thought maybe my battery had a bad cell or something and had it tested, I replaced it since it was a few years old even though it tested ok. This still didn't fix the problem. Ohhh, and keep in mind I have a hei distributor, and a gm 3 wire alternator, I've redone my grounds and wiring from alternator to battery. My only other thought of what it could be is my ignition switch, not the lock cylinder part but the wire switch that gets turned by your key.. Maybe it's worn and losing connection, I ordered one and it should be here today so hopefully it fixes my problem.. I would like some suggestions for what it could be if my ignition switch doesn't fix it..
Little update: ignition switch didn't help, but I did figure out it is a wiring problem somewhere. I noticed my fuel pump waasnt humming like normal so I did a quick Hotwire and made sure it works. So whatever wire is linked to the pump and gauges is probably the problem, now to just go find it...
Just a shot in the dark but maybe a bad connection in the main fuse box? It can be corroded or maybe just loose from 30 something years of driving. Easy check and fix if that's the problem. I had a similar problem and it ended up being a loose connection to the battery bought a new battery thinking it was bad (same as you) and it did it again then I figured out the line to the fuse box was loose on the battery terminal.
Might have figured it out, the back of the fuse box was really corroded, only time will tell if it did truly fix it. Only discovered that after an hour of being in the worst positions trying to undo all the wiring and checking wires.. One good thing about pulling all the wiring out is now I can tuck it all up neatly, no more ghetto wiring.
