The Old Distributor Did The Trick...

Tinfoil hat on...
A points vehicle will run after an EMP event.
(At least until you run out of gas)
Tinfoil hat off ...

 

As is your choice,
however,
There is no misconception over the added maintenance of points. Tuneups run between 3 to5K miles. This is necessary with points due to their contacts wearing. This wear changes the gap (dwell) which directly effects the timing. The wear, as well as any corrosion, can effect not only timing but actually producing spark. This is a common issue with points style ignitions that sit for long periods of time with the contacts open.

So, I'm with Pete here.
Points are simply a mechanical switch that "tells" the coil to discharge. They are super simple and are by far easier to diagnose.
HEI and other electronic ignitions do the same thing using magnetic fields and electronics to "tell" the coil when to discharge.
The basic difference is electronic ignitions usually need nothing more than a cursory inspection of the cap and rotor to fulfill the tune up requirement. Points require filing or replacement, regapping, as well as a timing adjustment to get to the same place.

Electronic ignitions also provide better performance. While this isn't a real issue for most of us running generally stock engines, others will see such things as higher ignition voltages and the elimination of point bounce at higher RPM's.
There are a plethora of aftermarket ignition systems out there. What makes HEI style ignitions systems so popular is everything is under the cap and they are a single wire "plug and play" ignition. They came stock on 76 and 77 oddfire 231's and are a natural upgrade for the Delco and especially the Prestolite point style ignitions.

 

Iv never really had any problem with points other than a few times having to clean them to get spark back after sitting a long time. Once I had a problem with a petronix wire getting worn through by the magnet wheel. and another time on my 2a for years i had an ongoing problem of the rotor and cap burning up from spark tracking. Somehow I fixed it I think maybe the plate was not rotated correctly. Anyway it seems most problems come from the distibutor itself not nessesarily the points. Either way its not a great system which is why they are obsolete. My brother made a homemade ignition system for his beetle using an arduino and gm coil packs it worked great. He put a hall effect sensor in the distributor

 

Heres the video he made about it if you are curious VW Beetle DIY Electronic Ignition Conversion With Arduino UNO and DIS Coils (youtube.com)

 

Is there a rebuild manual for the IAT series of prestolite distributors that y’all can point to as a reference?

FSM has an exploded view and does a good job of walking through disassembly. I just didn’t know if there was something else out there?