Dead Battery… had to get a Tow !!

[Roger 68 charger]

I am hoping someone here can help me with my charging issues. I am not a mechanic, but I try to do most of my work myself.
I got my car running a couple months ago. Everything's been going pretty good, but I had my car out the other day. I was about 25 miles from my house and came out and my car would not start. It barely turned over and then just started clicking, like a dead battery. I got a jump. It started right up so I decided to try and make it home. I got about 5 miles from my house and driving down the road It must've lost spark or something, but it died, and I coasting into a parking lot. Now it was really dead would barely click so I called the hook.
So a little history on my car. It's a 1968 charger, I have a 440 stroker motor in it. I have a new Optima Red top battery. I am running a mechanical regulator. I soldered a solid wire behind the ballast resistor to bypass that. I have a new one wire power master alternator that the paperwork says it puts out 75 A at idle 85 amp Cruise and 110 top end. I have all new M&H wiring, harnesses front the back. When I was wiring up my alternator, I read a lot of nachos threads on this site and tried to wire it up based on these threads.
I ran a new 10 gauge wire from the alternator through the firewall to the ammeter then I wired a new 10 gauge wire from the ammeter to Through the firewall to the starter relay With a 14 gauge fusible link. I did leave the stock wire hooked up to the alternator stud to feed the horn relay, but I capped the wire that went through the firewall. I kept the original wire hooked up to the ammeter to feed the slice that feeds everything inside.
I do have an eight gauge wire going from the alternator over to the battery with a 12 gauge fusible link per the instructions with the alternator.
I have a Holly electric electric fuel pump, which is wired through a relay which the hotwire of the relay is hooked to the positive post on my battery. I am running a MSD system which the positive wire is also hooked to the battery.
Everything has been going good for a couple months, seems like something is drawing my battery down, especially at night. I do have a voltmeter that you plug into your cigarette lighter.
I do have a voltmeter that I have been taking a bunch of readings, but I'm not for sure what the numbers should be. I was hoping somebody could point me in the right direction of what I should be looking for.
Sorry for the long-winded post I'm just not for sure where to turn next
Thanks for the help!!!

[70 sublime]

Sounds like the car drove until there was not enough juice left in the battery to run the ignition

After all your wiring did you ever seem the amp gauage move to the plus side ??

You do not seem to be charging the battery

[Roger 68 charger]

To be honest, I wasn't really paying attention to the ammeter... I was told since I have a wire running from the alternator to the battery that the meter would not have a true reading.

[armor64]

my first step, with the info you have there, is to see if the alternator charges at all, or if its the battery. If you can hook it up to an AGM safe charger to top it off completely, then check voltage (12.8v, or whatever it reads, should be above 12 at the very,very least).

 After that, start the car and let it idle, check the voltage again and it should be in the 13+ range, if it has a chance to charge the battery. this way you can isolate if its a potential dead battery cell issue or alternator.

the fact that there is a draw down overnight feels like a separate issue to the charging/batt issue, as, if the alternator is working, it would keep the battery topped up when driving and have no issue restarting right away.

as an aside, the lowest I've seen personally on my car start with a holley sniper setup (gauges on screen) showed key on 11.9, and  cranking 10.1v and it still started after a "lights left on" fiasco lol. 

[Charger_Dart]

Agree with the above. Check the voltage with the car not running and running at idle. It should be 13+ volts at idle. I went through 2 Powermaster 1 wire alternators on my car. They would work for a couple months and then quit charging. Powermaster support was very weak so I ended up buying a Mopar 1 wire and so far no issues at all but its only been a little over a year. 

[b5blue]

My positive cable end at the battery was not made correctly, the copper wire was loose inside the end.

[John_Kunkel]

I was told since I have a wire running from the alternator to the battery that the meter would not have a true reading.

That's true, what kind of readings are you getting from the voltmeter in the lighter socket?

[Roger 68 charger]

Agree with the above. Check the voltage with the car not running and running at idle. It should be 13+ volts at idle. I went through 2 Powermaster 1 wire alternators on my car. They would work for a couple months and then quit charging. Powermaster support was very weak so I ended up buying a Mopar 1 wire and so far no issues at all but its only been a little over a year. 

The factory for power master is located in the suburbs of Chicago, which is pretty close to where I live. I called them up and asked if I could bring in my alternator and have it tested, he said, go ahead and bring it in. I swung by Power master and he tested the alternator and said everything looked good and he suggested maybe changing out my voltage regulator.

[Roger 68 charger]

I was told since I have a wire running from the alternator to the battery that the meter would not have a true reading.

That's true, what kind of readings are you getting from the voltmeter in the lighter socket?

So I think I might've found my issue...
After charging my battery overnight, I was driving around for a full day. My voltmeter was reading in the high 12.7.  12.8.
At the end of the day, the voltage started dropping to the low 12 and then into the 11s. I got it home and it barely wanted to start. I've read a couple post how the wires on the back of the ammeter would get hot so I don't have my radio installed, so I reached in to check my wires, which they were, not hot at all. So I grab the red wire and try to move it back-and-forth and it was a little bit loose not even a quarter turn each way. so I turned to the right to tighten it up. I also checked the black wires on the other stud and it was the same way , I turned them to the right and tightened up pretty good. So the next day after a full charge, I took it back out now my  volt meter was again reading in a high 12s and as I drove it all day it actually got into the low 13s when I was reving on it pretty good. Then at the stoplights or Idling around, it would go back to the mid 12s. When I got home, I checked the battery after I shut it off let it rest a little bit and it was 12.89. I'm going to check to see if the wires were loose on the studs, but it seemed to me like the studs on the ammeter themselves were turning a little bit. I know years ago when this car had the stock wiring in it. It had some wires that were melted. Typical locations at the bulkhead connector and ignition switch. Had some wires replaced. I'm thinking back then it might've heated up the ammeter and now my ammeter might not be no good. So I ordered a new ammeter and when I get that installed, we'll see how it goes

[Kern Dog]

It wouldn't hurt to get one of these jumper boxes....

[Roger 68 charger]

It wouldn't hurt to get one of these jumper boxes....

I need to get one of these !!!!

[Back N Black]

Have you tried a new voltage regulator? easy to install and should always have a spare in the glove box driving a mopar.