high rpm, delayed shift, very little power, knocking sound

[bd]

Did you do this...

Flip the distributor cap over and look for carbon tracking and cracks.  Inspect the carbon button for wear and the center of the cap around the button for discoloration from heat stress.  Remove and inspect the rotor for pinhole perforations.... 

You could have a pinhole burned through the cap or rotor to ground.  Assuming you have HEI, is the short ground strap installed between the coil frame under the dust cover and the harness plug?

You might want to run a compression check, as well.

[muldoon]

Here are images of my distributor

[muldoon]

Distributor replaced.  Plugs replaced again. 

I also removed the msd6a, and am running closer to stock. 

HEI distributor gets power from ignition.  rotor pointing to #1, firing order confirmed and reconfirmed. 

Truck starts like a snap.  Sounds decently ok on fireup, actualy she sounds great when she starts, but after a few minutes, the exact same knocking banging sound is back.  What else can cause this?  I do know my carb is rich, but I would not have thought it was related. 

Thoughts? 

[bd]

Here's an idea:  procure a ~1.25" thick-wall rubber hose about three feet long.  Use the hose as a listening tube to try and locate the source of the noise.  The 'tube' generally works better for automotive noises than a stethoscope or long screwdriver, because it is flexible and it suppresses extraneous noises that enter from the sides while "channeling" sound from the specific item you're investigating.

  ^^^^^   Did you ever try this?  ^^^^^

Do you have any sense for where the sound is originating?  Maybe a valve cover?  Are you sure there's no exhaust leak?  Does the engine still miss?  Did you check cylinder compression?

[78BIG-TEN]

Could be a broken valve spring or bent pushrod or even a bad cam lobe

[muldoon]

After doing the distributor and driving, she seemed to run much better.  The lack of hesitation was gone, still had the knocking noises, but she drove pretty decent.  She did squeal tires after all. 

Today I decided I had put off tuning the carb too long because the exhaust smell is pretty rough and I knew it was too rich.  I dialed both idle set screws clockwise until I could hear idle drop and then backed them back.  I had them roughly where I started.  Then I goosed the throttle cable hard, and the idle changed drastically down.  I then reset them again using the go clockwise until idle drops, then reverse about 3/4s of a turn.  Then I adjusted the actual idle screw until she settled into a mellow sputter. 

She is quieter, but the knocking is gone.  100% gone.  smooth idle, has power, has acceleration, but engine seems happier. 

As for delayed/rough shift, I found that there was a line between the engine and the transmission.  Odd looking thing, looks like vacuum line going to a oddly bent piece of metal tubing, and back to vacuum line into the transmission.  When I reconnected that, shifting got much much better. 

Truck is running good now. 
Thanks for all the help.