First things first, do NOT replace the fuse with a bigger one to see what happens. You let the smoke out and nothing will work after that.
Since you have a few issues your best bet is to try to isolate where the problem is. A blown fuse usually means a hot (positive) wire is touching ground directly where it's not supposed to. The car has many wires and pinch points which makes troubleshooting difficult. Step one is to do what Chryco said, disconnect the rear wiring harness bulkhead behind the drivers side kick panel. This takes all the taillights out of the circuit. I would also disconnect the front light harness from the firewall to eliminate those. Now when you replace the fuse, you'll be isolated to just the dash lights etc. If the fuse blows again, you know it's somewhere in there (Dash lights, console light, switch wiring etc) so you know where to start looking. If all is well at this point, shut off the lights and connect the front harness again. Turn the lights on and see what happens. If this blows the fuse look to the front. If it passes now you know it's the rear harness.
If you have new harnesses, check for loose terminals on both ends (plugs and sockets) I replaced my taillight harness and one bulb socket had an end crimped at a wierd angle I had to straighten out. It was in a position to short out against the housing, which is grounded. I don't know if that's your issue or not, but something to look for. Also if your car was recently restored, check for pinch points or areas where stuff could shift (trunk etc) and pinch the wires or rub them to expose the wiring. Happy hunting!
