Rowdy and Mean 318 build

OH boy, I should go back to school.
Did you ever check the cylinder pressure?

LOL pretty sure these problems couldn't be solved with formal education, that thing just ran odd I never could figure it out. I did check the cranking compression, IIRC averaged out to 170 psi at 5000' above sea level. SHOULD have been OK but it definitely wasn't, even with that conservative timing and 91-octane premium.