Michael,
I have enclosed a link to a wiring diagram of a '46. They are simple to say the least. As Wrenchbender indicates, some probing with a volt tester will help immensely. The original truck had a polarity reversing switch...did you dump this when you rebuilt everything. When you power the key side of the coil and all the gauges light up, that must mean 'the gauge' as in fuel gauge.
That is the only gauge the schematic shows on the same side of the switch with the coil. If the ammeter burned through inside, none of your lights will work...do they work!
Loosing power on the line side of the ignition switch certainly will kill any power to the coil...if you jumpered around this with a wire from the battery, the truck should have ignition and should start. Either two things happened at once or something is rotten in Austin. :confused:
http://chevy.tocmp.com/chevywiring/diagrams/1946truckwiring.pdf Stuart
