Brian - for starters that ign resistor
does get hot - it's job is to cut the voltage to the coil by 'wasting' some of it as heat, and if the key's on for long w/ the motor not running it has to 'waste' it all, that's why it's advised not to leave the ign on long when the motor's not runnin
maybe the smoke is from the cheap ink they use to mark the part# on? or from a bit of oil you got on it even, from your hands? that's part of that 'new car smell', ya know! having worked in electronics, I've always been aware of the smell of a new ign resistor the first few weeks
have you checked to insure the connections are tight? loose connections generate more resistance, hence more heat - do you have the old resistor you can switch in temporarily to insure the rest of the wireing is hooked up right? maybe the one you got is the wrong resistance - don't know if the 6v had a resistor, but it'd be different
failing all that, you can always get a newer model coil w/ internal resistance so the resistor isn't required!
Bill
