1984 p/up wont start

hi all, am new here and could use some advice. my pickup wont start. changed starter, was starting to drag, changed fuel pump and plugs. hard to do when it is -20 outside. lol. used an old plug at the plug wire and grounded the tip and a buddy turned the motor over. there was a weak yellow spark, but intermittent. could the coil be going bad? haven't checked inside the distributor yet, for rotor condition. too cold. lol. choke works, and am getting gas to the carb. started getting worse about a week ago. last time it started was new years eve. any suggestions, tips, clues, etc as what to do, look for next? live in the rural area and need my ride. survive on a modest income and cant afford to be changing out everything.

thanks again

There is a solid state module inside the HEI distributor, Replace it. it only cost about $10-20, and if it is not the cure, it wouldn't kill you have a new 1 anyways.I had a 1984 C20, I had two go bad. They don't respond well to heat. It kills your spark when they go bad causing a no start condition (completely dead engine). Use the heat transfer paste supplied with part.

would this cause a weak or intermittent spark?? or??......

would this cause a weak or intermittent spark?? or??......

Yea, No start condition can only be two things:lack of fuel/air or ignition.