I just put the beast back together after rebuilding the valve train and HEI distributor. Now the ground strap from the chassis to the block and the small ground wire to the battery smoke and get hot when attempting to start. Did I attach something incorrectly in the distributor or did I miss something elsewhere? :oops:

Do the obvious first: back trace your steps and look for loose connections and pinched wiring. Could be many things. Among them are loose battery cable connections, loose grounds, bad starter, wiring pinched between the distributor and manifold, (seen this one a time or two after dist R & R.)

Extremely heavy electriclal load will make wires smoke as they progress to burning and melting into two pieces. Just like a fusable link. In your case, the fusable link is the battery ground wire. The starter must be pulling an unbelievable amount of electricity (amps). Is that sucker even turning over when you hit the start switch? Is it turning slowly or making any strange noises? I would take a good long look at the starter after retracing the work you just finished.

Extremely heavy electriclal load will make wires smoke as they progress to burning and melting into two pieces.

If the only ground the starter is getting is through the small 12 gauge wire that you said was smoking, then that is a problem. You need a ground from the battery to the engine block also, which would in turn give the starter a nice big ground and your wire would not burn up. since the motor, frame and engine are all mounted together with rubber mounts,you need a ground from the battery to each of these to make everything work properly.

I will pull the starter and have it tested and from the sounds it's making I believe it will end up in the starter graveyard. All the other wiring checked out. Thanks for your encouragement.

You have a strange problem. Let us know the results of the starter test.

You should have a big ground wire from battery to engine, probably on the alternator bracket. Make sure it's clean and tight so it can carry the starter load instead of the small wire.

i dont know much about electrical but i do know about costs of a burnt wire harness hood replacement on a corvette..lol..hope you find the problem

Unless you buy an expensive starter, getting yours rebuilt is ussually the best idea. I have found that rebuilt starters and alternaters(by a competant shop)are always better and more dependable than over the counter ones. ALWAYS make sure you have a good ground on your car. Aside from hot wires shorting out, the ground wire is the most important wire to getting any system to work in an automobile. Without a proper ground, you don't have a complete circuit. And just like these kids are doing these days with their stereos, using a monster ground wire is a great way to assure safety.

Did you paint your heads all pretty before you put them back on the block? If you did and failed to scrape the new paint off the area where you bolted the main ground wire back onto the heads, (usually on the front of the right head) your'e probably not making a very good ground. This forces all the ground current through the small wires. Hope that is all the problem you have.

ElCafreak is spot-on about having your original starter rebuilt. You never know what your getting when you buy a rebuilt off the shelf. The original starter is better for proper alignment.

I replaced the starter yesterday and all is now well in ELKY hot rod land. Will have to replace the battery ground cable since the fusible link cable is naked. :D

Yes good luck on this one....that electrical stuff can be very scary. The only smoke you should have is from your rear tires!