The coil wanting to fire fixed itself. That sounds weird, but after bumping the engine over (screw driver across the starter relay terminals), it didn't do that again. Perhaps the distributor was in just the right position that the coil wanted to fire? Is that even possible?
Yes, but hard to say it was likely. Coils fire when the electric field inside the coil is charged then de-powered causing it to collapse and the energy released out the coil wire. In short, to fire a coil, you have to turn the voltage on and off, a static distributor SHOULD not do that. However, it is electricity and the ECU could be getting just the right kinda sketchy signal and it freaked. It is the ECU that switches the electricity to the coil on and off.
I still have NO JOY on the IGN Start or IGN #2 circuits. I'm really thinking I've managed to get two bad ignition switches back to back.
How are you checking for voltage? I have seen people backprobe the connector and miss the wire thinking it was not a getting power. I prefer to use a OHM Meter or Continuity tester to check the switch when unplugged just to be sure. Another option is to stick a safety pin through the middle wire to get a reading from it. Do not do this on wires exposed to elements like under hood or under the car without sealing the wire afterwards.
You can also check for voltage at the yellow wire on the starter relay when in the cranking position.
Two things can cause a hot fusible link. Excessive current draw or a failing link that is starting to slowly burn away inside. Pretty common on our cars. If you flex the link and the voltage at the fuse block fluctuates, it feels crispy inside or it makes any kind of crunchy noise it is bad. A bad fusible link could cause any number of weird problems including random power loss or coils misfiring when the connection is shotty. They can not be visibly inspected because the insulation is designed to not burn it can look good and be bad.
