fresh 318 questions

while removing the trans i noticed the coil is hot to the touch. never expierienced this one before? any ideas

Is this hot condition with engine off? If so, coil & ignition circuit needs to be rewired correctly so that no juice is running to it when ignition is off. Also this constant current draw could explain pegged amp gage when engine is running due to a heavily discharged battery.

Place battery on charger until fully recharged, address ignition wiring problem, and make sure base (chassis) of voltage regulator, spark control orange box if equipped, and alternator have good ground with no voltage drop to battery negative post. Also make sure battery to block, and head to fire wall ground straps have electrically competent connections with no voltage drop to negative battery terminal. These simple steps will eliminate a lot of funky electrical gremlins.

One more thing about battery condition; have it load tested at an auto parts store to determine its ability to hold a charge. An old battery or new that has been fully discharged for any length of time will become resistant to recharging, and no amount of charging to some charge will be accepted by the plates. This condition can make your charging circuit run full out pegging amp gage as well.

Look here for diagrams and explanation of ignition & charging circuits:
http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=18