[gungho johnny]

I have tried to check the power coming into the motor. From the positive terminal the wire goes to what appears to be a "coil". From ground to that terminal I have 12v. Form the other terminal on the "coil" in which a wire goes to the starter, I have nothing. I tried to ohm it out and it appears to be open, no continuity, and no resistance. Any suggestions?

[Silvertip]

The coil you mention is not a coil -- its the starter solenoid which acts like a very heavy duty switch. The ignition key in the start position sends 12V via the small wire on the solenoid. This actuates the solenoid which makes a physical connection between the two large posts which then feeds 12V to the starter. Because the starter draws a very large amount of current, the ignition switch would fry in a heartbeat if it had to pass that current. The large post on the solenoid that has the positive battery terminal on it should measure 12V as you discovered. The other large post that connects to the starter will have 12V on it only when the key is in the start position. If it doesn't either the solenoid is bad, the ignition switch is bad, or the wiring between the solenoid and the switch is bad.