The points 'were' new and appeared new with the exception of the melted/burnt housing, from leaving the switch on with the points closed.
My Dad seemed to recall an old Chevelle of his that the coil would give out once it got hot... Might have been the case for me too, the first time I noticed the missing, it was warm out and the engine was thouroughly warmed up. Then I did the tune up, and the most recent occurence of the problem it was really warm out, but the engine was initially cold then warmed up, and the further I drove it the worse it got.
Dunno, hope its OK now.
