I have been fighting an assortment of gremlins in a 76 914 but a new one showed up this weekend. I was moving the car from my garage to my shop out back and after a minute or so of warm up I was backing out of the garage and the motor died and all electrical power along with it. No instrumentation or no power to the starter even though the battery was in good shape. Problem remains a couple of days afterward. Battery connection is good and again no power at either key on position or starting. Thoughts?

How do you know there's "no power to the starter"? How did you measure the voltage?

Could be the battery terminals are oxidized even though they are tight. Could be the ignition switch.

What voltage do you measure on the battery terminals (the pegs on the battery)?

What voltage do you measure from the battery connectors to chassis?

Is the strap from the transmission to the bottom of the trunk floor in good shape?

Given the fact that the battery terminals are not loose or oxidized and that it died after a successful start up and after the die I have no power anywhere I am thinking ignition switch or possibly a ground strap that fell off although that seems unlikely by just backing out of the garage.

You can't see oxidation between the battery post and the terminal. This happened to me with my 914. Start. Start. Start. Dead.

How about the lights? Do they come on when you pull the light switch? Interior light works?

Besides, you need to rule this part out before you begin the search. You have 2 large (10-12ga) red wires that come from the battery and go "unfused" into the cabin. One goes to the ignition switch ad the other to you fuse panel. While you have the cables loose to clean Ohm out those two lines. Shouldn't be too difficult to locate and as Spoke mentioned, this is square one.

Agree, seems like the smaller red wires that supply the forward fuse panel. They need to have good connections to the battery. Power on the main battery to the starter tells us little about the connection of these red wires. 12.7 lots on the hot side of the unswitched power at the fuse panel would you dictate these red wires have good connections from the battery to the fuse panel. From there, the key switch becomes more suspect. With key on, if car can be started by jumping the small post to the main power post on the starter, it points back to seat belt interlock or the key switch.

I did not have time to pull the ignition switch to check but I did check voltage at the two red wires and had 13.3 volts. With the key in the on position I have no radio, no dash indicators, no interior lights and when I pull the lights switch all the way out I have parking lights only.

It's a 76. Pull the passenger seat. Remove the two big yellow wires from the box mounted to floor. Connect them together.

Disclaimer: typing this from memory.

I agree, smaller red wires connected to the positive post are not making good connection

I don't believe the 76 had the Dreaded Seatbelt Interlock Relay. Which would only affect the starter, not the rest of the electrical system.

First suspects would be the battery connections, including where the ground connects to the chassis of the car. Second suspect would be the ignition switch.

--DD

you are right Dave, until mid 75 only