The boot is tight, and the wire is solid core. Thanks for all your help, it's given me something else to look at. First I want to see if we can find someone to rewire that old coil.
My brother duplicated the Kohler conversion kit with a used 12v battery, and an automotive coil. Starts on the first pull. Putting a on/off switch on the wire to the battery so it can't burn the points while it sits. We don't know how long the battery will stay charged, but we'll put it on a trickle charger when it sits.