1972 Volkswagen Beetle used to start and run poorly, now wo

Engine Mechanical problem
1972 Volkswagen Beetle 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic? Miles

my 72 superbeetle (autostick) hates me. Originally, it ran fine, then, out of the blue, it started running like crap - just overly sluggish - wouldn't get up to speed very quickly (sometimes not at all) and would lose a LOT of power going up hills (even slight hills). I did some checking and saw it had the wrong carb. Just put on a 34 pict 3. Still ran awful. Pulled it apart again - was going to check the heater riser tubes but didn't get that far - read something that said to check the fuel injector and just take it apart and clean it. I did that and put things back together. Now, the engine turns over but won't start at all. I did the check my book suggested with the spark plugs - pulling it off the coil and holding it 1/8" away while turning the engine over - - no spark. Am I correct to assume this means my coil is bad? I figure I should replace the coil, spark plugs and plug wires, as I have no idea how old any of them are anyway. But, will replacing the coil hopefully help the sluggish problems once it DOES start? I'm at a loss!
Thanks so much!