Continuing to track down source of no voltage to coil while cranking

The brown wire that comes out of the ignition switch powers the coil during "start". The brown wire bypasses the ballast. As soon as you let off the key, power jumps to the blue wire that comes out of the ignition switch. Since you said the engine starts when you release the key, this means the problem is on the brown wire. Since the ballast is bypassed during "start" the problem isn't there. Start testing all the connections on the brown wire. Start at the ignition switch connecter, then both sides of the bulkhead. The brown wire ends at the ballast.