Throwing my hands up on this ignition!

The only way to know for sure that your ign box is 'fine' is to.....substitute it with another one that you know works.
An MSD coil I bought a couple of months back is made in China. Well that is what the sticker says!!!
Very good advice above to use your dist to trigger a GM HEI module. Dead simple to hook up, cheap, big high energy spark. Get an E core coil to use with it to get the most out of the system.