A PA28 PLT EXPERIENCES A LOSS OF HIS ALTERNATOR ON THE WAY TO BED; MA. ONCE THERE; AND ACFT REPAIRED; HE HAS A RIDE IN A BE58 BARON; ON A PRE-SALE INSPECTION. ONCE BACK ON THE GND A FUEL LEAK IS DISCOVERED THAT COULD HAVE CREATED A FIRE. THE RPTR SAYS IT WAS HIS LUCKY DAY.

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ENRTE VFR TEB-BED. GPS STARTED ACTING UP; FINALLY STOPPED DISPLAYING INFO. APPEARED TO BE SHUTTING DOWN. CHK ON AMMETER INDICATED NO DRAW. ALTERNATOR LIGHT BARELY ILLUMINATED. TRIED TO RESET ALTERNATOR; IT DID NOT WORK. CHKED POH (PLT OPERATING HANDBOOK) TO CONFIRM MY PROCS (I WAS CORRECTED). NOTIFIED ATC OF MY ALTERNATOR INOP; TOLD THEM I PLANNED TO CONTINUE VFR TO BED AND WOULD BE USING MY HAND-HELD COM RADIO IF NECESSARY. SHUT DOWN ALL ELECTRICAL EXCEPT XPONDER AND #1 NAVCOM. LANDED AT BED UNEVENTFULLY. MECHS FOUND 2 BROKEN WIRES AND REPLACED THEM. INCIDENTALLY; I WAS GOING TO BED FOR A PRE-BUY INSPECTION OF A CLIENT'S BARON 58. WHILE MECHS WERE FIXING THIS; I FLEW (AS PAX) WITH THE BARON OWNER TO OBSERVE AUTOPLT OPS AND AVIONICS. HE FLEW 2 PRACTICE ILS APCHS AT LWM AND WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY BACK AT BED. I NOTICED A BLUE STREAK ON R-HAND ENG COWL REAR OIL FILLER DOOR. DURING SUBSEQUENT PROBING; MECH SAID A FUEL LINE WAS LEAKING ONTO ENG AND WE WERE LUCKY NOT TO HAVE HAD A FIRE. HE SAID WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE. I GUESS THIS WAS MY LUCKY DAY. (THE BARON HAD JUST FLOWN IN FROM A 1 HR FLT.)