What's the starter draw in amperage numbers??? Most shops have a gauge they can check the draw with while the engine is cranking...

IMO, too much initial timing....Does the distributor have vacuum and mechanical advance, and what rpm's are they coming in at????

A little trick we use on the high compression drag engines that don't have the retard at start feature in the box is to have a separate toggle switch for the lead going to the distributor to power it up.... You can flip the switch off, no voltage to the distributor, turn the key on, hit the starter button and when it has turned over a couple times then flip the switch in the ignition wire to on and power up the distributor....