Okay gerrit. Couple things. The best advice for any newcomer with these rigs is to spend some time reading through the various threads in this forum. You've come to the right place. There is a ton of first rate information archived in the pages of this forum. You really need to educate yourself on this beast before going much further.
How much do you know factually about the history of this particular rig? Has the engine been sitting non-rotational for a year or more before you got it? Since you've already tried turning it over, the toothpaste May already be out of the tube. Long story short, there is a procedure to follow when reviving a long dormant engine, which is outlined in great detail right here in this very sub-forum. So before you try cranking the engine over any further, I suggest you become acquainted with that process first.
Now if you know for a fact this engine was running up until a few months ago, that's a different ballgame. Your initial description leads me to believe the rig has been out of service for some duration, which is not at all uncommon even here in the states. So going forward, when you're really ready to start the ignition diagnostics, the first thing you need to make sure of is that the battery condition is top notch. That means fully charged with no weak cells. There's no sense in trying to diagnose either electrical or ignition problems with a weak or dead battery. You can't do it. Then you need to verify that all electrical cables, wires, junctions and terminations are clean, tight and corrosion-free. Then you need to get yourself a 12v test probe and more importantly, a hand-held digital volt meter (dvom) if you don't already have them. These devices are critical for performing successful diagnostic tests.
Now, that prestolite unit first starting showing up on scouts circa 1978 and were a mainstay on the gas-powered rigs until end of production in 1980. No doubt they can also be found in other makes of similar vintage, but I don't know off-hand what those would be. Ford had their own system, the duraspark. GM had hei. If your distributor turns out to be no-go, and you'd rather revert back to points, that can be accomplished with several different IH-application points distributors, the most common of which is the Holley 1510. Then if you wanted, you could install a pertronix breaker points eliminator module and be back to an electronic ignition. But I think you're a ways away from making that determination yet. Your problem May be a simple as a faulty module, or faulty ignition coil, both of which are replaceable items.
