Question: Getting the most out of a stock looking ignition system.

You can use a points to trigger an HEI. You haven't to worry about dwell, only standard timing curve settings. There are articles on the web about wiring. Although you would need to hide the hei part.

Personally I like the Pertronix III idea and its 30 month warranty but the availability of parts during an emergency 100 - 1000 miles from home and the cost of replacement are issues for a driver that doesn't have a chase helicopter loaded with backup parts or what I mean is redundancy backup parts in the trunk.