[GearHead69]

I'm working on this '79 TA that has been sitting in a barn for 10 years, it's got a 403 and 54,000 origional miles. This car is excellent shape very solid body with origional paint. Now the problem I'm having.. I got it out and running somewhat good, I took it out for a spin after some tuning last night and put it in the garage and called it a night, this morning I went to start it and it was like the key had been left on, everything dead. So I hooked the battery charger up and all it did was make sparks fly, and when I got the cables connected it would trip a breaker in the battery charger, I thought it was my charger so I got my car and some jumpers, this time I got the jumpers hooked up and they were hot and smoking. Something it not right everything is dead and it won't jump or charge without sparks, weird thing is it ran great last night and I'm sure I shut everything off key, lights... Any help appreciated. Thanks, Paul

[RCastle]

Sounds as if your hot lead to your starter has rubbed through and is shorting to ground.Check ALL the wires from your battery to your starter,and from your starter up.Do not hook up juice to it until you have found the wiring problem.Should not be that hard to find.Does your hot lead from the battery lie close to an exhaust manifold?

[docvette]

Doc here,

If the Battery is ALSO 10 years old...Sounds like it has an internal dead short...The ride you took just Slushed all the old dissolved plate material and antimony up from the sluff box on the bottom of the battery, and shorted the plates..

To test it...Get some Goggles, a rubber apron, and rubber gloves...Cautiously remove either cable, than the other CAREFULLY ..don't jar the battery..Than hook your Charger up to the Vehicle side of the Cables and try the lights or other non Digital electrical..DO NOT TRY TO START it unless the Charger is made to do this.

If everything "Heats up" without tripping the circuit breaker on the charger, than the battery has an internal short..

VERY, VERY carefully, remove the battery..DO NOT jar it..as you could further short it out and have an explosion on your hands...Replace with a new Battery, and Store the old one in a very safe place until you can properly dispose of it.

If that's the case..Your very lucky the battery didn't gas up and explode on your "Ride"...

Doc