In inspecting it, I realized that it does in fact go to the engine block. There is a cable coming off the negative terminal that connects to the side of the engine bay and then a cable from there that goes to the block. I can't believe that I didn't notice it before. I've done the best inspection I could and I can't see any problems with the wiring for the fan or the solenoid. It could still be one of those things but I can't see anything obvious.
Anyway, with the new battery wires and the fusible link are not doing the trick, I have reached the limit of the work my wife will allow me to perform on the truck. I am on the edge of getting divorced as it is and you should have heard the insane fight we had today after I spent a mere 20 minutes working on it. Well, if you're in Southern California, maybe you did...
I drove it around the block and ran it for a while (it ran really strong), but once I turned it off it was dead again. Where I'm at right now is that it has to go. As much as I love it and as much as it could solve many problems to have it as a daily driver again I can't keep it and stay married. At this point, I'm not sure there's anything I can do to save what I have, but I have to try and that truck is one of the flames pointed at the gas tank that is my marriage at the moment.
Would any of you like to add a new 60 to your collection for practically nothing? I'll throw in the stereo system I removed previously and a commercial grade rack if the price is right. We're not talking about big bucks here. Like $750 - $1000, but hey, I'm negotiable. I've talked briefly about selling it previously but at that point I decided to keep it. I can't do it now, so it's yours. Search with the phrase "A question of value..." until I can find the link and edit this to reflect that to see what it has and so on. PM me if you're interested or if you'd like to ask me questions.
Thank you all for everything.
Ian