<VV> Coil Question

[Andy Clark]

      A friend in my local car club brought his mid '60s Chevy over
yesterday because the engine was acting up. I mention it because, although
the car is not a Corvair, the question still applies.
    As part of the troubleshooting, I discovered that his coil was hooked up
backwards. That is, the +12VDC was connected to the -ve coil terminal and
the points were connected to the +ve terminal.
    Does anyone have any idea as to whether or not this would have harmed
the coil? We're still having hard starting issues even after correcting this
and other problems.
Thanks
Andy Clark
1966 140/4 Monza Sedan
1966 140/4 Yenko Clone
1966 180/4 Cord 8/10 #60