cant smoke the skins...problem??

RPM, everyone's given you excellent advice in trying to track down any possible gremlins in your combination. And you seem to have a good grasp on how air, fuel and spark interact to make power. So now it's time to fix the problem. The solution lies in your cam's duration at 0.050 inch of valve lift. With an advertised duration of 284 degrees, your duration at .050 is probably around 230-245 degrees. This is simply too much duration to build decent cylinder pressure with 9:1 compression. And if your engine has not been blueprinted and heads cc'ed, you've probably got closer to 8:1 compression. You want to find a cam grind that will build better (read "more") cylinder pressure below the RPM at which your engine currently begins to come on. If you pose the low cylinder pressure possibility to the tech rep at the cam grinder of your choice, you'll find this mystery solved. Then go smoke them hides!