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you write..... ...I am taking this measurement between the screw that the coil touches and the breaker plate"..... ..that is good as it should be. It ain't shorted out.

It just means that the danglin' springy-thingy underneath yer squarecan ignition coil it NOT making contact and needs to be gently stretched so it makes contact with the ignition points screw..... ..Dell, yer sell-appointed sparkie-meister

I thought if the points are closed, the coil shorts to ground and the voltage at the coil should read zero?

Even with that, you should be using a resistor to keep it cool and comfortable!

With 12-Volts jumpered direct to the terminal at the top of the coil, the voltage there is gonna read 12-Volts, no matter what!

It is the OTHER end of the coil primary, the "infamous" spring thingy that will alternate between grounded and battery voltage, as the points open and close.

The "spring thingy" needs to make good contact with the special brass screw beneath it. From there to the breaker points is a flat copper strip that often cracks and breaks. Have you checked that?

You need continuity from the coiled spring all the way to the moveable breaker point arm, though the points themselves (when closed), to the breaker plate, and to the distributor housing.

On the other hand, you may have a SHORT somwhere in the breaker plate area that will have the same effect as points that never open, or a shorted condensor.

Make sure the snap ring that holds the breaker plate is not touching insulated parts!

OR... you may simply have points with a film on them that prevents good contact.

The typical 6-volt squarecan ignition coil with "infamous ballast resistor" with points CLOSED will read about 3-volts. (2.5v min) Points open, about 6.3 volts.

And depending upon yer 12-volt conversion, (points closed) you may about 11.5v, (9.5v min) or 3.5v (2.5v min).

And while it is "rare", there is always the possiblity that yer current ignition coil is internally "open". A simle ohm-meter test between the coil top termial to both of the coil bottom terminal should read continuity. To the springy-thingy about 3-ohms, and to the coil secondary tab, about 7000-ohms..... ...Dell

No need to buy anything... you can figure this out!

3.2 Ohms sounds a bit high, although I haven't checked a "12-Volt square can coil in quite a while. Have you verified your meter "zeros" buy taking a reading with the leads touched together?

Safely clamp the distributor in a vice, and hook up a battery to it. You can troubleshoot it there, and get it working before you reinstall it.

You could troubleshoot it with the cap off.

Warning... when you DO get spark, it will jump from the flat tab at the lower front of the coil that would contact the distributor cap, if it were installed. You could have a ground wire clamped near that tab for the spark to jump to.

You have the battery connected directly to the top of the coil and your measured voltage will always be 12 Volts regardless of points open or closed. You are measuring the battery, not the coil.

The way to Test is to place a Known resistor ~ 1.0 Ohm in series with the wire to the coil and then the voltages will divide when the points close. With a 3.2 ohm coil & test resister (1.0)
with points closed your coil will measure ~ 9.0V
and Resister ~ 3 Volts

Its also very important that ZERO current flows when the points are open (no shorts in Dist). I would measure "across" the coil.. or the test Resistor. Points open = absolute Zero Voltage.

Hope This Helps,