Backfiring issue

IF you actually and truly agree with the KISS theory, then STOP just throwing parts at it and do some actual diagnostic work! Or do you just like throwing money away? The compression test would have been my FIRST MOVE!
I had been doing diagnostics, and even relenting and taking it to the shops. When I realized after I got it back from one of the shops, and they told me the carb was bad. Took apart the whole ignition system and realized the distributor cap was in bad shape. Not sure where the thought that I was just throwing money away? The compression is not bad, I checked it finally.