The coil is a round top device that has one sparkplug
wire attached to it(going to the center of the distributer cap), along with a small wire going to the points in the distributer. The other small wire gets positive 12 volts when you turn the key on. If the car ran before and doesn't run now, try to trace backwards where peoples fingers were last.

It sounds like you may have spark. It may be too weak to fire the plugs due to a faulty points/condenser and/or a bad coil. Kepp in mind also, however, that the spark needs to happen at the right time in order for the engine to start. It sounds like the spark plug wires may not be connected in the right order if there was a set in the trunk. That would cause the spitting back through the carb., and a no start condition. The correct firing order is stamped on the valve cover. I was thinking, and you don't really need a meter to test the ignition system. Just a $3.00 12 volt test light.

Please be very careful using starting fluid. I blew a engine up once using starting fluid. Starting fluid car ruin your engine with little provocation. When I say "blew up" I mean it suffered internal damage. Instead of starting fluid try using a tablespoon or two of gasoline. If the air filter is off the car, you may have a flame shoot out of the carb if things aren't adjusted right. Keep the air cleaner on when trying to start unless you have a fire extinquisher handy. Let us know what questions you have and we will be glad to help.