Yes , The starter can totally get too hot to touch just by cranking...remember it is only supposed to turn over for a second or two.
Well .......What about the ignition trigger...how is that hooked up....crank or distributor or .... take a plug wire off and stick a plug into the wire and hold the body of the plug against ground and see if you get a spark while cranking,.....don't worry, you won't die even if it does shock you!
