i have a 1985 camaro it was running and just a few days ago let it out on a test drive to sell. It died and now there is no power, no lights, no sounds, as if there was no battery in it, but everything is hot. what am i missing?

 

Probably a toasted fusible link. Look for one of the power supply wires from the battery and/or junction block (not the cable), and trace it till you find a black rubber looking lump (about 3/4" long) in the wire. Test for voltage on both sides of the link, and see if it's dead on the side opposite the battery source. If it's bad, it may feel crunchy if you squeeze it, and it can feel "loose" in the middle. Replace it with a new fusible link (new ones just look like a wire, no lump). Don't go without a fusible link, as that's what keeps your car from burning to the ground from a serious short.

 

describe everything is hot. the battery is hot? is that after the test drive when the engine was hot, or just sitting there? sounds like it could be loose wires. what was the voltage gauge reading before it lost power?

 

I've always called a live electrical wire "hot", that's the way I read he meant it. Maybe he meant temperature, but that makes less sense to me.