Help, Wiring up in smoke!

[c5_nc]

I have a 68 Charger 383..... I had a weak batter thus it has been sitting for about 5 weeks now.  Finally took in for a battery test at parts place (advance auto) and it failed test, they gave me a Autocraft Titanium 7yr warrantee 34-2 Cranking amps 875 cold amps 700 reserve 120.  Put it an in and fired up up.  Ran for ~2 seconds and cut out.  Fired it up again, ~2sec or so and cut off, white smoke puffed up, got out and looked and seemed to be comming from bulkhead and the other box that is beside the ballast resistor, hard to tell.  Ideas?

[hutch]

sounds like you had a wire cross over or a ground come in contact with some power source or a power souce come in contact with the body (ground).  I have melted a few wires in my day.

[c5_nc]

Mechanic suggested a voltage regulator 

I will recheck the wiring to see if anything is obvious with the wires.  Battery is a size class 34, which is same as old battery, suppost to be size class 24, but advance and a mechanic friend both said it shouldn't matter.

Ryan

[myk]

I was going to say that it sounds like your voltage regulator (the box besides the ballast resistor) burned out, but I'm not sure how that could've happened...

[c5_nc]

I think I have a problem with a ground wire, I'm going to buy a new piece of wire tomorrow and fix.... will report back.

[c5_nc]

I was a ground wire 

[myk]

So are you up and running?

[c5_nc]

Fired right up an runs great.  I bought a little pack of 10 gauge wire at advance auto parts and replace the section, it looks similar to what was there before, not sure if that is correct, but it works.  My mopar battery died after 1 yr, so got a 8yr warantee one (lost previous receipt but keeping them in the glove box from now on.