Did a search and found a little information but nothing I didn't already know. Here goes:
The symptom is that the battery goes dead after I turn her off within a nights time. So, I have a significant draw even when the ignition is off.

I can pinpoint some of that draw due to the fact that the dash board emergency brake light stays illuminated (if the emergency brake is engaged) after the ignition is turned off. This is new with the symptom of the dead batteries. I have disconnected every dang fuse in the rig and that light doesn't ever turn off. (not really sure if that is normal seems to me it should be a fused link). HOWEVER, if i don't engage the emergency brake the light does not illuminate but I still end up with a dead battery the next morning.

As long as i disconnect the battery each evening I can reconnect in the morning and it'll start no problem. The charging system does charge appropriately when it is running and powers everything just fine. (as far as I can tell)

I have been unable to find any loose wiring or faulty ground. However, the engine was rebuilt years ago and the previous owner may or may not have got everything hooked up right.

So, my thoughts are ignition module and possibly alternator/regulator. What are your thoughts?

 

Try this, remove the negative cable from the battery and connect a 12 volt test light between the cable and battery.

Remove the fuse links one at a time from the starter relay. When the light goes out, thats the circuit with the problem

Seems i've read that an alternator with a bad diode will heat up as it's draining the battery. Have you checked for that?

 

Will do....I'll post back.

 

Well it has been a while since I posted this. Just thought I would update the post saying that it is fixed but I am not entirely sure what the problem was. I replaced several wires that had signs of problems in addition I followed and secured several connections. After fixing 5 or 6 things the charging system is now working perfect.