I used to care about the "why" factor with this problem. Now I'm just out for a ride at night. 1 wire alt. not charging properly and gets blistering hot within seconds while none of the cables/wiring change temperature will always be a mystery to me. Doesn't that seem like a ground issue with what it's doing now?

 

If you have a 1 wire, then why would you still have a regulator or relay? Is there some chnce you've got the old system 3 wire still tied into the 1 wire and causing a short?
My 1 wire alt. drops when I turn on heavy loads, but readjust immediately to bring the voltage back up.

 

One wire alternator still has a voltage regulator inside, just self-exciting.
78 Camaro didn't have an external regulator, if that's what you were getting at.

 

Not sure what you mean by "why would I still have a regulator or relay?" I only mentioned that I could hear the regulator in the alt. working when the voltage would climb up to 14 volts. I completely removed the 3 old wires from the car. I took the exciter wire out of the bulkhead connector and the bat+ right at the group of hot wires clamped together by the firewall.

After I turn the blower or headlights on, the voltage will drop to 12ish and not recover until I turn them back off, then after a couple of times doing that, I can turn them on and the voltage will dip and then recover. New weirdness. The alt. only gets hot now when I first start the car and the voltage starts off around 13. After 15-30 sec. the voltage goes up to around 14.6 and it cools back down to normal.

Gotta be so close now!

 

I took the Camaro into the shop yesterday and it sat there all day and didn't get touched (with a specific appt. no less.) We'll try this again next week I guess.
So anyway I brought it back home and decided to look into the steering column a bit and get the remainder of the cruise cntrl wires outta there. I have a question or two about the turn signal wires in the column. I noticed the dark blue and light blue wires about mid-way down (of course) each have a small spot where the wire is exposed. Not being able to get to these very well without disassembly, could I use some liquid tape/gasket on those? I know they're not causing the problem i'm still having as I made sure they weren't touching anything and started the car with the same issues. Just want to cover those spots up before putting the wheel back on. Also, isn't there supposed to be a wire for the horn in the column? I don't know how the horn actually operates through the steering wheel but thought there was a signle wire that gets connected to something? Mine is missing if that's the case.