[Dave at Pelican Parts]

You can also "simulate" the points opening and closing by hooking an extra wire to the (-) terminal of the coil, and then touching it to ground and pulling it away.

If you have the center coil wire taped about 1/8" away from a good ground (not close to where you're waving that wire around, please!) and the key turned to "on", you should see a spark if the coil is good.

John Muir's "Idiot Book" is a good source for some of these basic procedures.

--DD