I grounded coil positive to block?

You may not be done. You can buy replacement terminals for the connectors, known loosely as "Parckard 56" You need to be sure and get the right flavor

Once you think you get everything together and correct, you need to run some voltage drop tests to be sure the VR is not overcharging the battery. What I mean is, that voltage drop TO the VR will cause the VR to boost voltage and cause a battery over-voltage problem

To check this, with everything connected, having been running, warmed, and with battery "up" to normal, Run two tests

1...With key in "run" stab one meter probe into the battery POS post, and connect the other as close as you can get to the VR ignition terminal. This is likely where the ballast has been bypassed. You should read a VERY low value and the lower the better. Do not disconnect anything to read this. You want a load on the circuit. Anything more than say, .3V you need to find out why

2...Ground circuit........With engine runnning to simulate low-to medium cruise RPM, do this first with all accessories off, and again, with heater, lights, etc, on. Stab one probe into the battery NEG post, and the other into the VR mounting flange. As before, you are hoping for a very low reading, zero would be perfect

The MAD article I mentioned earlier deals with these issues.

Where troubles fall in the original wiring, in no particular order:

Bulkead connector, as you are finding out.

Problems with damage and looseness and or corrosion at the ammeter, and bad wire end terminals at the ammeter

Broken welded splice in the black ammeter circuit. This is rare but has happened. I found my first failed one in about 1971 in a friend's 69 RR in the parking lot of his apartment. had the dash and harness all over the front seat. He thought I was nuts, and I did too for awhile. Over the years, I've been privy to maybe 8-12 of these failures

Bad connections and failure in the fuse link

On newer cars, there is a white colored engine harness connector that fails

All this is made worse by great big alternator or large power hogging accessories, like stereos and electric pumps and fans