is there an easy way to see if the coil is being over driven?
I am not sure what you are asking for her, exactly. Chrysler ignition coils are the same, sense '60ish until mid to late '90's (points, electronic ignition or air cleaner mounted computer controlled).
Ignition coils are filled with oil to help dissipate heat - so if you see a coil leaking oil or cracked - I wouldn't use it (limited lifespan remaining).
(Any/all) Ignition coils are lazy and will only put out the voltage needed to fire the spark plugs. Example would be if spark plug gap is set close (say 0.015 inch/0.38 mm) it might only take say 10,000 volts to fire, when at idle. If spark plugs are gaped too wide, say 0.045 inch (1.14 mm) then it might take say 50,000 volts to fire the plugs when engine is under a load. It takes more voltage to fire a wider gap
and it takes more voltage to fire when cylinder pressure is higher (when under a load or acceleration).
Note: All FMJ vehicles should have spark plugs gaped at 0.030 inch (0.76 mm).
Going by memory, I think the Chrysler ignition coil will fire up to (an average of) 44-45,000 volts before it cuts out - but don't quote me on that number.
A wider gap on spark plugs will provide a hotter spark - but it does wear out the plugs a bit faster and does require more voltage from the ignition coil. If you have a car with a weaker ignition coil (misfiring while on the road, or whatever), you can make the plug gaps less and generally able to at least get to your destination. Having a hotter or colder spark doesn't mean there will be much (if any) difference on how the car feels, drives or even with "timed trial events".
For my customers cars, I have always set plug gap at factory specifications (again, for FMJ's is 0.030" (0.76 mm)).
For my personal cars, i have always set the plug gap at 0.005" more (or to 0.035" (0.89 mm)) and have never had any issues - for the ignition system has enough overhead.
Going to 0.040 inch gap might be too much and could be a source of a misfire under a load - which would happen if the ignition coil could not produce enough voltage to fire the spark plug (under pressure). In this case, when you decrease the load a bit, the misfire would cease but as you increase the load and misfire would re-occur. You want to leave enough ignition overhead to compensate for plug wear or other conditions that would increase the required ignition voltage.
BudW