Charging System Troubleshooting--Blown Ignition Light Fuse?

[ACHiPo]

Removed the alternator again. Even though the electrical cut off switch was off I got a little spark when the ratchet touched the overflow tank removing the "Batt" nut. I checked the voltage and it is 0.5V. I ohmed out the orange wire from the fuse block to the alternator and it's fine, but there was also 0.5V between the fuse block (both orange and white wires) and ground. The voltage slowly dissipated so maybe there's a cap someplace?

The new alternator did not fix the issue. At this point I'm back to the battery or a short somewhere in the wiring.

Oh, and as hard as it was to remove the green wire from the fuel gauge? Putting the gauge back in is damn near impossible. I think I will need to pull the steering wheel and dash to get it back together.

The final straw was bumping the visor when pushing the car back into place and having it snap in half.

I'm taking a break for a while and see what other ideas I can come up with from the schematic.

Edit: Patrick I didn't see your note until after the last activity. I will try your clean fuse wire idea when I regain my composure.