I put it into gear and it dies.

....and are you 100% SURE you bypassed the ballast? What I'd do at this point is check voltage before and after the ballast. You can use a test light or a meter. good and bright going into the ballast and a bit dimmer coming out. Or close to battery voltage going in and maybe 7-8 going out. The ballast drops voltage some. You've checked the ignition itself out going right to the coil +, so it does run. Now you need to double check your own work bypassing the ballast. A meter will help here.
is this while cranking?
I just went out and tried it with the key in run and there is no voltage going in or out of the ballast. both test light and meter verified.