[dsraven]

just to clarify, the HEI distributors take a large wire for power. the stock coil supply wire is not gonna work.
the starter usually has a big lug for the power supply from battery and a smaller connection to energise the solenoid and get the starter working. the old solenoid has 3 wires and the 3rd wire was to supply power to the dist when the starter was in motion because the normal power supply to "run" at the coil is a lesser voltage with a ballast resitor wired inline so the coil doen't burn itself up. what do you have for an ignition switch, the old fashioned key on the dash? a 10ga wire could be run from the ign post on that to the HEI as long as the ign switch also has a 10ga power supply that is fused. then the distributor should power up. if your truck was originally a 6 cyl it likely had a foot starter with a totally different style of starter that you are used to seeing and wouldn't have had a "start" position on the ign switch. the newer switches with that function for start are available, even at farm equipment stores, for cheap enough.