Starting spark frequency? (ignition issues...)

I went back out and checked the voltage during cranking and the meter read essentially 0 (200 mV) which was odd since it started yesterday. I checked voltage at the brown wire at the ballast during cranking and found 0 volts there, too. I traced that wire back to the bulkhead and made sure there was continuity there. However, during that exercise I found the alternator wire at the bulkhead was pushed out of the connector. I didn't think that would affect anything I was testing, but figured I'd fix it.

For this wire the bulkhead connector had gotten so old and loose (it never melted like some of the pictures I've seen, but you can tell where it had definitely been over heated and expanded) the dash wiring side connector wouldn't stay put so I super glued it in a couple of years ago. I guess everything wasn't lining up right and over time the female connector pushed the wire out of the engine side connector. I went ahead and spliced in a connection through the bulkhead connection to fix that. While I was under the dash I also checked for continuity between the ignition switch side connector brown wire and the connection at the firewall. Everything there checked out so I knew the wire was good and the ignition connections were good.

I tried to start the car, figuring I would eventually check the brown wire voltage at the firewall, and it fired right up. I stopped and started it a few times to ensure it wasn't fluke like last night and it started right up every time. I checked the AC volts at the distributor during cranking and it was between 0.8 and 1.1 volts. I don't know why a bad connection of the alternator wire would have affected this circuit, but it did. I also checked cranking voltage at the brown wire at the ballast and it was 12 volts.

Then I installed the ballast resistor that RT garage sold me with the coil and checked the voltage (I didn't expect it to start) and the brown wire jumped from 12 to 9V when the car started. For the first time this setup started with a ballast resistor installed. Then I put the firecore distributor back in since I know its mechanical advance is set where I want it and the car started again (I didn't check AC volts since it started). The ballast I have on there now is a two prong ballast so I just connected the bottom portion of my two connectors.

I'll run it again tomorrow to ensure this wasn't a complete random fluke. The only current component different than it was Tuesday is the ignition control unit. I haven't installed the REVNNATOR yet, but I might do that tomorrow. If that starts the car with the ballast resistor installed then that means I've had a bad bulkhead connection for 10 years that has likely caused starting issues in the past. I have run parallel battery and alternator wires in the past and didn't think the bulkhead connection would be as important with those in place, but apparently I was wrong, and hopefully this fixed it.

If the car is now fixed and the REVNNATOR works then I just am out a backup control unit and I figure it's not a bad idea to keep that as a spare. I also have a much better understanding of how the system works.

Thanks for your help. The information here and in previous posts I read has been invaluable.