Thanks SmallBlock, I appreciate you hanging with me to figure this thing out.
I'm reading "pull the harness & unwrap it", LOL. No problem, just as soon know what's under the bandaids instead of waiting for puss to run
Would the front & rear lights running off chassis ground also cause component damage? I just talked with my dad & he was running lights last time it ran.
[Side note: I'm guessing you have/had a 450SL with a small block conversion, please PM details. I've had a few mongrels myself. A Jag XJ6/350, Honda CVCC/289, VW Bus/2.0 Pinto / gone 2.3 Mustang / gone Buick 231 Even Fire, and some others that are caught in the fog at the moment...]