[Lidpainter]

Why is my Firebird such a gutless turd? 1969 Firebird, 400 ( .030 over), M-20, 3:73 rear. Engine has strong, even compression, #62 heads, long branch manifolds, Gardner stock-type exhaust, stock 1969 intake, correct 1969 M/T recalibrated Quadrajet, Summit 2802 cam, 1.65 rockers, DUI HEI with 24 degrees @ 3000, Delco 44R plugs gapped to .050 (as per DUI instructions). Runs cool even in 90 degree weather. Total timing is/has been 32, 34 and 36 degrees while trying to find the sweet spot. Still looking for it. Sadly, it pulls about as hard as the Saginaw 3-speed V6 ’81 Malibu I had as a kid. None of that pushed-into-the-seat power I have had with previous cars. It’s embarrassing. What am I missing? Could this still be some kind of timing/ignition problem? Slipping balancer? Is the quadrajet insufficient? Way too mild a cam? Has Greta Thunberg put a curse on me? I’m stumped.