omission of ampere gauge

If you've decided that you don't need an ammeter, I suggest cutting the wire ends & soldering the two wires firmly together with good shrink-wrap insulation. Those wires are the main hot-wire feed for the whole car; if they are open, as you found, you get a no- start or anything else. They are also not fused, so if they short-circuit, melted wires or a fire could result; insulate the heck out of the connection!

[ Those wires are the main hot-wire feed for the whole car; if they are open, as you found, you get a no- start or anything else. They are also not fused, so if they short-circuit, melted wires or a fire could result; insulate the heck out of the connection![/B][/QUOTE]

Has anyone installed a fuse on one of these wires, if so where and what size?

No fuse or Fusible link would hold it! If your charging 45 amps you'd need a 60 amp fuse or link. Coming home from Las Vegas I was charging a totally dead battery. Not Recommended!! My amp gauge was pegged at 90 amps from halls 100 amp alternater. The gauge was hot enough to burn your hand, little puffs of smoke would come out from under the center console, ever so often. But I "pressed on regardless". After 3 hours the needle slowly started to descend, no damage done, I survived, and the alternater and charging system were tested to limits that they will never see again. Believe it or don't! Marlin.

If you're set on removal of the gauge, then, YES, you will need to connect as did the amp gauge internally. The connection should be soldered as Jack suggested. If the removal decision is based on the continual failure of the gauge from over-load, then you could do what I did and remove those devices that pull large loads, all the time, and wire them directly to the battery side of the gauge, or other tap, with a fuse or circuit breaker inline for safety. My radiator and a/c fans pull directly from the battery side and not through the gauge. Of course keep in mind you're actually pulling more than your gauge now shows, but one normally looks to a gauge for changes and not simply a negative or a positive reading only.