273 SKIPS and MISSES.......

On my freshly rebuilt 273, there seems to be a problem..... Not the least of which was the fact that my rebuilder actually RE-INSTALLED my old crudded-up and crusty Champion plugs in that brand new motor, AND the old distributor AND rotor that weren't good enough to put on a 1950's Rat-Rod. (I STILL can't believe he actually did it...........!!!!!!!)

I changed out the plugs, cap and rotor.......Checked each wire for proper connections and continuity (Accel's, brand new).......When I started it, it definitely was a bit more healthy....more power at my foot was obvious....BUT, when I brought it back to the garage after a short and conservative "romp", I noticed a definite "skip" in the motor.......At idle, it sounds ridiculous......One cylinder just dropped out.

I.m goin' out to check the wires and inspect the plugs in a little while, and my question is this........

Barring no obvious problem like a dead plug or a bad wire, could my distributor be the cause here? I can even feel the misfiring at a cruise speed....the motor jerks a bit constantly like an ignition problem..... The Dist. is now about 7 years old, and is a standard Mopar performance street model electronic system.......It's pretty well oxidized on the outside, probably because the car was garaged in NY (hot, cold, damp, then dry....LOTS of climate changes inside the building for 7 years)........

I'm wondering if the electronic system should just be swapped out at this point for a new one...........? Could it be causing this symptom?

This is the first pre-70's I've had with an electronic upgrade......never had a problem quite like this constant misfiring....... Any ideas?