<VV> ignition problem

[Kinzelman, Andy]

Guys,
We've been working on a 63 Monza 102/PG.  It has new points, plugs, coil, dist cap, wires, & condenser.  The plugs & points are gapped to spec; the car is static timed.
The car didn't want to start, so we replaced the resistor wire with a ballast resistor.  It still didn't want to start very easily, so we ran a switched 12V direct from the battery to the coil.
The car runs like a turd through the resistor, but runs OK with the full 12V.  We haven't checked the voltage through the resistor, but I'm guessing there is a problem in the switch, or wiring.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Andy K.