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<x-flowed>I have had this happen to my '67 Sqbk, but you had much more sense than me. I hit the underside of the dash with a fire extinguisher and it left a huge mess. Just turning off the power halted the root of the problem.
This was a long time ago, so I don't recall the exact details of what I found, but I think it was my headlight switch that shorted out, heated the plastic coating of the wire to the point of melting and emitting smoke.
You'll have to look for charred wires, and don't just replace them, trace the wiring to find something that caused the problem. If you find obvious arc marks, odds are you've found it. It could be a failed switch, failed fuse, loose wire that touched a hot wire, or one of many things. This is challenging and tedious work, but something that just takes time and a bit of detective work.
If you farm this out to a shop, expect a big bill for their time.
AFTER disconnecting the battery, to gain better access to the wiring, label and remove the speedometer, clock or whatever is in your dash. LABEL every wire. I use paper hanging tags that attach with a string.
Use a mirror, or remove the driver's seat and cushion the floor and lie on your back to access the dash. Find a good wiring diagram and spend time familiarizing yourself with what you have, what looks like someone hacked, what looks like it should, and what doesn't. Draw diagrams yourself, it really helps you to understand what you are seeing.
Since I had to do this after spraying fire extinguisher powder everywhere, every time I touched a wire, powder would fall into my face. Stuff fell out for years! and it hastens the corrosion of metal as well.
Jeff '67 Sqbk
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