I have a 1969 chevelle malibu 307 engine stock specs i replaced all new engine parts everything is connected right my prolem is i have no power when i turn the key there's no lights sounds nothing at all. my question is can it be my negative batterie cable due to having my engine painted chevy red? that there's no current flowing? the negative batterie cable goes grounded on the block right on the thermostat housing on the double sided bolt between the alternator bracket and thermostat housing but still no power can it be because the bracket for the alternator is chrome? and the thermostat housing? please enyone who responds with a solution will greatly appreciated thank you :( :confused:

I'd say you're right. I have had the same problem several times, and it always turned out to be a bad ground to the engine. When you have it connected to the thermostat housing, the current has to go through a lot of bolts, washers etc before it reaches the block. Theoretically, that's ok, but in an old engine there's a lot of gunk and rust on the threads and the mating surfaces so it's not a good solution. If the bolt is rusted and there's paint on the surfaces, gaskets in between etc it just won't work.

There are several threaded holes in the block itself, and any of those would be a much better place to connect the ground cable. You could use one of the two holes right in front of the fuel pump (just don't use a bolt that's too long, one of those holes runs into the fuel pump pushrod). Another option is to connect it to the cylinder head. It's not the optimal place, but I have it sandwiched between the alternator bracket and the cylinder head on my -69/307, and have never had a problem with it. Just make sure that you clean and scrape any paint off before you connect the cable.