Weird distributor problem. HELP!!

[mhicks]

I have a problem with my distributor. I bought it brand new from Jegs about a year and a half ago. I put it in the same time I installed my crate engine from Jegs. I bought a high performance GM distributor. Ever since I had it, it hasn’t worked right. Sometimes it would go for a couple of days and sometimes a month but it would not start. Seemed like no fire to the plugs or distributor. Once when it wouldn’t start I ran a wire straight to the battery and that did not fix it. I ended up buying a new module, took a couple of modules out of other distributors and kept them with me. Every time I had a problem when it didn’t start I would change it out and that would fix it. Then I reused them over and over and each time it seemed to fix the problem. So that eliminated the module. Since then I have replaced the coil, the wiring inside and outside. Of course the usual rotor and cap. A couple of weeks ago it died on the way to work. Didn’t have time to mess with it until after work. I pulled the cap off and the little flat piece of metal on the rotor was burned up. The last ¾ of an inch near the center was gone. Got a new cap and rotor and that fixed it. I got to looking at the old cap and the center button was melted into the cap and the plastic around the button was all melted. A few months ago I figured out that when it wouldn’t start I could just pull the cap off and rub my finger on the metal on the rotor near the middle and put the cap back on and it would fire up. Since then I figured out that sometimes all I have to do is remove the distributor cap and put it back on and it fires right up. I have put several new caps and rotors on it in the last year and a half. I have tried several different brands. I have bought the best the store has al the way down to the cheapest and have yet to figure out what is causing this problem. The truck is a ’73 Chevy with a 350 in it. Does anybody have any clue as to what can be causing this? It is sure getting old.