Do you know if the fuel pump is original?

They go bad all the time, put a fuel pressure guage on it and see what happens. Running the car low on fuel will kill a weak/old fuel pump. The indy repair shops around here keep one in stock, if that tells you anything about the frequency of failiure.

There should be schrader valve where you can attach a guage.

Be careful with the starting fluid, I blew up a company car(Toyota) once with that stuff, it causes detonation and can put a hole in a piston easily.