Ah, well, I ought to update this saga...
In thinking about this issue I realized that my turn signal lights were not working as well. I putzed around with trouble-shooting it and got it down to that nearly impossible to find signal stat flasher unit. Found some on Ebay, finally, (I bought four of them...a lifetime supply.). Anyhow, turn signals now work correctly (as do the brake lights!), and the ammeter is pegged, as expected, at zero.
As for the PIAA's, they are disconnected for the moment. I want to take a second look at the schematic to make sure my hookup didn't damage the flasher (I doubt it, but it makes sense to check...). I also want to determine what output my alternator is providing. If it's a 40 or 60 amp alternator, 9.6 amps is a large percentage of the output and I should think about upgrading to a 100 or 140 amp alternator.
Nice to have my Cobra drivable again. In this time I fixed an
oil leak, shortened the header collectors by 3/4" so the pipes don't drag and they look better aligned to the body, got the headers ceramic coated again (Ooooooo, shiney!), painted and resealed my side pipes and installed O2 sensor bungs for tuning.
Also, got my street/performance Keith Craft 331 stroker short block. Damn, they do nice work! Time to start procuring parts. I'll get my AFR heads from KC as well. Very helpful in my cam choice!
DD