ignition coil hot - too hot?

[Roctania]

1971 Challenger
fresh 440 with everything aftermarket/ edelbrock/ non-stock

Pertronix Lamethrower distributor had to be abandoned because it would not make spark.  Back to OEM distributor, new voodoo box on firewall [5 terminals, 4 of which are used], ballast resistor with blue wires to it, new reproduction wiring harness.  New coil with chrome cover. 

Fired the engine for the first time recently, and 3/7/15 finally got to adjust timing and carb and settle her down- after yet another no-spark incident which had no apparent cause and a no-starter incident because the wires won't stay on the neutral safety switch.... grrrr...

So anyhow, bringing her up to temp, watching vacuum signal, tuning the carb, all that, I touched the ignition coil outside, and it was HOT, like burn your skin hot, like 200 degrees F estimated.  Will take thermal reader tool with me next time. 

I don't generally have occasion to feel a coil while in operation, but is this normal for a coil to run that hot? Like, as hot as the radiator after the engine has been running 15 minutes...

thanks for any input you can provide.

The 440 sounds very badass.

[justcruisin]

They do run pretty warm but not that hot that you burn yourself. If it is wired incorrectly in can get hot - if it is meant to run a ballast and it is wired to 12 volt that will make it run hot, if it is the wrong coil it may run hot - some coils can run a primary winding of 0.4 ohms, a coil around 1.5 ohms will work with the standard mopar controller. Put an amp meter in line and see what your primary current draw is. If you are running a coil with too much draw it will grenade the controller.

[tan top]

 the factory set up did / do not help matters , with the coil on mounted on the engine ,( I believe the OEM coils back in the day were similar to the epoxy filled vibration MSD / ACcel coils of today ) I await to be corrected )      that's the reason I moved my coil to the inner fender , still gets hot , warm  but nothing like when it was mounted in the stock location ,