302 ignition/batt/starter Major Short

79 ski tique 302
Starting the engine one day I turned the key to starting position on the ignition switch , immediately I see smoke coming from the battery box, I quickly turned key to the OFF position but it kept smoking on the Positive terminal.
Before i could attempt to disconnect the terminal from the battery itself it just burn in half.This happened in about 10 seconds. I noticed after that it melted the cable a bit back to starter. I would guess the starter hung up and I will get it rebuilt, But before I try to reconnect new starter,battery, possibly ignition switch, that's about all I would know to check. Any other things in the loop that could cause or also be damaged?

8122pbrainard wrote: We can give you more info on wire colors, diagrams, etc. if you need them.

That would be great. Do you need any other information regrading my engine?
Your checklist gives me the starting point I needed.
Thank You..

8122pbrainard wrote: cn, Do you have a volt/ohm meter?

YES, Fluke

8122pbrainard wrote: How's your electrical skills?

Pretty Good
I have a good understanding of electronics and have trouble shooting experience.
Hit me with any suggestions.
Thanks for the wiring diagram.

You need new battery cables. And possibly a new solonoid. Possibly your cables were corroded and had too much resistance which in turn heated them up to the point of melting. Your solenoid stuck in the closed position because there wasn't enough amperage left over to turn over your starter so it welded the contacts closed. Or your starter could be froze up or shorted which could have caused your problem. Have your starter checked. Either way is sounds like you fried your battery cables. Once they have heated up that much they will be a source of problems from now on so I suggest you replace them.
One final check after you fix those things is to take a voltage reading at the ignition start terminal on your solenoid with your key in the start position with the starter disconnected at the solenoid. Should be very close to the voltage you get when reading the voltage on your battery. If there is a big drop, (8 volts for example) you have another problem we can discuss later.