1. Grab a spare coil/igniter/distributor at a junkyard for testing... If this doesn't solve it, you now have a spare set for when it does fail later on.

2. Your temp gauge is "normal"... As in all of ours do it. It seems to mostly affect 1987's and some 1988's. There has been a lot of speculation about possible bad grounds within the dash wiring, but nothing concrete. I have tried every supposed fix to date, and nothing has fixed it for me. I have gotten to the point where I think there was just a bad batch of temp gauges sent out in 1987, not the sender, not the wiring, just the gauge itself. Put in an aftermarket one.