I lit the wick on the small block 427 Friday. It was an open header experience, so it was tough to tell what exactly was happening, but the idle was weird and at tip in it seemed to come up slow. I started hunting around, pulling plugs and 6 was pretty wet, so I started it again and pulled the wire on 6 and no change in idle. I put a timing light on 6 and it showed it was flashing. I then pulled all the plugs, locked the throttle plates open and put a compression gauge on 6 and got 170 psi, which I think is really good for being overcammed. My next step is a new plug. Any ideas?

 

I see it flashed on the timing light, but is it actually getting through the plug wire to the spark plug? I'd start it and put #6 to grounded surface and see if it's sending a spark clear through. Or I'd pull that wire and read it with an ohm meter the entire length to ensure it's getting spark through.
Other than that I'd replace the plug to ensure it's not a bad spark plug. Sounds like great compression, so I doubt it's mechanical.

 

Nice call. I checked the wire with a DMM and the resistance was jumping all over the place. I checked three other wires to make sure my technique or the meter wasn't screwed up, and they all came in between 93 and 117 ohms depending on length, so it looks like the wire. I'll light it again tomorrow when I get some time to mess with it. Thanx for your input, you know your stuff.

 

Well that should be a cheap fix! Glad I could help!