I disconnected the battery before removing the ammeter/temp gauge cluster to send in for repair. Taped the ends of the ammeter connections, reconnected the battery and...no lights, starting, nothing. Battery is fine (new) and everything was jake before I disconnected the battery and removed the gauge. Only thing I can think is that without the ammeter in the car, I have interrupted some circuit. Hate to think I messed something up.

Almost all current goes THROUGH the ammeter before it goes to any device. It sounds like you taped the ammeter wires disconnected from each other. If so it's like you cut the battery cable. Connecting the wires together should fix your problem.........Bob

Bob, that's what I was hoping to hear. I thought that might be the case, but being an electrical novice I wanted to pose the question first. Just one more thing I now know. Guess that's how knowledge happens. Thanks so much for the reply.
Chris

You're welcome Chris. If you plan to run the car without the ammeter I would connect the wires by using a screw and nut through the two terminals to make sure I had very good contact. Poor contact and high load could cause the connection to get quite hot..........Bob

Thanks, Bob. That's exactly what I did - screw and nut and good contact. The wires are siting right inside the empty gauge hole within reach, and I'll make sure there's no heat buildup. Much appreciated! Chris
PS: The Temperature Gauge Guy has taken the cluster apart, cleaned out the stray flakes of debris, cleaned the glass, repaired the capillary, and I hope to have the gauge back in the car this coming week. I miss my ammeter gauge. I like to look at it frequently, and it will be nice to finally know what temp the car is running at. What fun it was to get the cluster out of the dash...