GTX starting problem - bad chrome box?

After not starting my '71 GTX for a couple of weeks I started it, it ran for couple of minutes then died. Unable to restart it I thought maybe I'd flooded it so I left it a few hours and was still unable to fire it.

Today I threw a shot of gas down the carb and nothing. Usually it would fire for at least a second.

Is it time to replace the chrome box and ballast?

Thank you.

do you have spark at the coil?

I would start with the ballast resistor. It may have got hot and broke internally. Next would be the coil.

Disconnect the connector at the distributor, turn on the ignition switch and touch the male prong on the engine harness to ground. Each time the prong is grounded and pulled away you should get a spark from the coil. If it sparks, the distributor pickup is the problem, if not it's the ECU, coil, ballast, etc.

I've never used that trick. I just stick a paper clip in one of the plug wire boots and see if I get a spark when cranking. Your system is better at debugging the problem than mine!

There is a spark, so...what now?

well alrighty then!
where did you test for said spark? coil or plug?

From the coil

pull the plugs (at least several of em) & see if gas or extremely carbon fouled

and as you are doing that, make sure the spark is making it to the plug.