Really sounds like you need new trigger points - only the left or right pair (not sure which) is working, by the sounds of it... 1 and 5 are controlled by 1 contact, 4 and 8 by a 2nd, 6 and 3, then 7 and 2 are not working on your car... suspect either bad points or a bad plug at the trigger points. Mixture's been adjusted overly rich to compensate for this, as a result, 4 cyls run super-lean (if they run at all, but they actually might under load when manifold pressure permits some crossflow of the air/fuel mixture) and the other 4 are over rich.

It COULD be bad plugs or wires or something electrical, but it isn't likely. It also is equally unlikely that the ones that aren't firing are just bad injectors.

It's more than a coincidence, in my opinion, that 2 pairs are firing and 2 are not. Trigger points are costly, make sure that the wires in the unit are all connected (still soldered), and the plug is good. Check for resistance while they're out, you should have 0 resistance (or very minimal) between all the pairs!

oh, and about Petronix: It eliminates ignition, not trigger points. To drop the trigger point system you'd need an expensive aftermarket engine management to replace the standard D-jet setup.