1978 F100, no electrical, completely dead, won't start

[sjbrink]

Hello, I live in Cincinnati, and my 1978 F100 won't start. I thought that I'd post a message here hoping that maybe somebody local would be able to offer some repair advice. My truck was working fine, I didn't drive it for a few weeks over the winter, and it just went completely dead: won't start, no interior lights/no headlights, won't crank, nothing. Based on the advice of some family/friends, I've tried several things: new battery, new battery cables, new starter, new solenoid, and new voltage regulator. One of the posters on the 1973-1979 F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks forum instructed me on how to run a jumper wire from the solenoid to the battery. My truck will crank when a jumper wire is used. Looking back, I should have had a more organized plan of attack instead of just randomly replacing parts, but I'm not a good mechanic, and I thought this approach might work. Anyway, I posted a thread over on the 1973-1979 F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks forum which is still active. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/11...ont-start.html Thanks for any assistance you can provide.