Ignition Points Tech Question

you get a jolt but no spark at the end of the wire...perhaps your coil is so weak that it wont make the jump? Have you ohmed out the good coil wire? as stated a dragging negative coil wire to ground will tickle the coil to produce a high voltage spark that should be good enough to jump at least what the plugs are gapped to.

He said the coil fired using the screwdriver to ground the hot arm of the points to the distributor body, so I am inclined to think the problem is actually the points themselves.
Could still be a coil also, and if he can get one without them trying to sell him a fuel pump we'll be good. :D