Started the truck(manual) in gear but without the clutch depressed like a dumbass. Now the power is dead though the fuse box isn’t blown + battery has 12.8 volts. Figure I blew the fusible link pictured on the wiring diagram. Question, is this connection the fusible link and if so what should be used to replace it.

 

Clean and retighten your battery connections. It takes a major short to melt a fusible link. Not by simply trying to start the truck in gear.

Based on your battery picture, try that first. Terminals are really nasty.

 

Yeah, check grounds, very important. May need new terminals, battery cables and build nice new ground wires engine to body body to frame and battery negative to body and engine, check out that and starter wiring...

 

Thanks I’ll give them a clean and see if that resolves the issue.

 

What’s the best way to test the battery ground and ground wires with a volt meter? Done a little electrical work but my knowledge is very limited

 

Any wire that grounds to the frame should be cleaned up.

On my truck, if you follow the negative wire from the battery to the frame you’ll find a common junction of wires. Clean them all really well.

If you can twist your battery terminals by hand, they’re too loose.

 

And he means clean the contact the grounds make, unbolt lug at the other end of the cable from the battery negative, wire brush the bare metal it contacts, somewhere on engine.

At the back of the head there is another wire bolted to the head and the trucks body, this one usually needs replaced/uprated.

 

Thanks and I’ll check for the head ground . Went ahead and made a new ground strap that connects to the - battery terminal, radiator, engine mount and engine. I’ll clean up the points that mounts to and see if they fixes the issue.
Any more suggestions are always appreciated