ahhhh makes sense thanks for the clarification!!!!

Here is the original coil... lol. I just got a new one since this one looks like it’s had much better days. Could this be one of my issues? Maybe under load it’s not working properly? It appears my base timing is set correctly with TDC and plug 1 with 8 deg on service mode

Coil won't have any effect on timing advance.
You should be seeing more than 30 degrees of timing advance by 3500 rpm.

ok thx. What else could it be? I tried a new ignition module and it didn’t make any difference. I thought that was supposed to control the advance ??

What do you mean by ignition module??? The pick up module in the distributor??
The timing advance is controlled by the ECM.

yes the module on the distributor with the two plugs

there has to be a bad looking coil award here

Not necessarily. The early mpi engines had a very lame timing curve. If you free rev them in nuetral , youll see the timing actually go way down, even negative timing. They did this to help prevent flare ups during shifting. The timing curve is based on map vs rpm. I dont think they ever see over 30* at wot in the factory tune

so if my base timing is at 8 deg, and i'm seeing about 15 deg at 3000 rpm, is that total of 23 deg? Does that sound right for that rpm?

The timing youre seeing with the gun, is the actual timing thats taking place. 15* sounds low, but i dont have the table handy to compare what it should be, vs what it really is.

What version of mefi is it ? Also, is this the 310hp or the 385hp version engine?