the next day, the same problem, so I took off the battery terminal bolt and battery cable and closely inspected both, the problem was rather obvious, the new battery terminal was coated with plastic on the exterior side and had a good metallic contact only on the battery side of the cable end and the bolt was a bit long so it bottomed out in the battery threaded connection, before the two conductive surfaces were firmly squeezed into solid electrical contact.
I carefully measured the thread depth and bolt length and removed the bolt and replaced it after cutting off 1/8" in my drill press, by placing the bolt in a vise and using a large drill bit as a mill,that was larger in diam. than the bolt threads, bit drilling strait down into the end of the bolt so the drill bit slowly shortened the bolt. a quick test fit showed the length was now shortened and it clamped the cable firmly, now
over the next week, no problems have occurred.
the reason I bother posting this at all,is to point out the fact that even experienced guys don,t always grasp the significance of the symptoms the first time,some component fails to function, but a few careful checks with a V.O.M. meter will limit the potential suspected sources, is IM sure at least a few guys would have been convinced the new battery was defective or the alternator was not charging, rather than verifying both first they would have made several useless trips to return the battery or bring in the alternator to check it out at the auto parts store where theres a good chance they might have been sold an alternator they didn,t need.
http://www.bcae1.com/charging.htm
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=46972
http://www.familycar.com/Classroom/charging.htm
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the ... oblems.htm
http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... nator.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2210577_check-a ... ttery.html
http://www.corvette-restoration.com/res ... ing101.pdf
http://www.arizonatools.com/tools/searc ... nAodaQPAJQ
BTW if youve got an electrical problem,first check your shop manual for the fuse and fuse able link locations
fuses are located in several locations and fuse-able links near the battery
hese scanners below are popular,
but WITHOUT BOTH A SCANNER AND A FACTORY SHOP MANUAL YOULL WASTE A GREAT DEAL OF TIME
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=609
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=98614
this is what I use
http://www.etoolcart.com/autoxray-scann ... x6000.aspx
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=469&p=6061&hilit=scanner#p6061
tools you really need
SHOP MANUAL
timing light
vacuum gauge
IR temp gun
degree wheel
dial indicator and stand
fuel pressure gauge
V.O.M. meter
torque wrench
magnifying spark plug reader
lift or (4) 12 ton jack stands
basic mechanic hand tools
floor jack
CHECK ALL YOUR FUSES WITH A MULTI METER

90% of your problems will be found just running thru the check list and following the shop manual suggestions, yes diagnostic software , and owning a scanner is a very good idea!
BTW FAULTY GROUNDS, IN MANY CARS AND ESPECIALLY NEWER CORVETTES CAUSE MANY ELECTRICAL ISSUES SO IF YOU HAVE INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES CHECK THEM CAREFULLY
