Boring HEI Dilemma?

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Ever since I brought the truck home from the big part of the build, I've had surprises in the area of "no-start". Never can tell when it's going to happen.
Once I got the timing dialed in, the drivability has been perfect. Starts at the touch of the key.....Except when she doesn't. I can go two weeks and it just
starts and runs and fun is had by all. Until, like this morning, out I went and crank, crank, crank...no fire.

Never happens when it's been running the same day. I've been through all sorts of fixes. To the point that I now know it's spark related.

If anyone has read this far, then maybe you like puzzles enough to give a guy a tip or two.

Even though I'm afraid to lose you, here's what I've done over the time trying to stop the intermittent starting problems:
I'll leave out the fuel side of it, because I've been from tank to manifold, including adding an electric fuel pump. It's electrical.

Here's how I know:

I connected the timing light and, with the hood open, I shoved the nose (of the light) between the cowl and the hood and made a shadow box so I could
see (from the drivers perch) if the light flashes while I'm cranking...trying to start up. It doesn't.

The distributor is an Accel HEI that came with the truck. My bias leans in favor of it being screwed up...But that's why I need to ask you all....

During all of this, earlier I replaced the coil, being careful to get all the parts in the right place. The truck ran fine after that and didn't display starting problems.
But that was a couple of months ago.

Today, I checked for 12v at the connector. It had it. Even so, today I again tried a direct line to the battery in the engine compartment for a test. Used a decent gauge wire. No change.
Previously, during my trying to figure out the starting issue, I had moved the wire into the cab..... I went (same decent gauge...I think 10g) directly to the fuse block for the juice.
She ran and started fine until today.

Today, I pulled the new(ish) coil off of the top of the dizzy to check the ground, "Tach" and "Batt" blades, the rubber doughnut and the spring and "plunger". There was still a small amount of the
dielectric (sp?) grease on the rubber "doughnut", and everything *looked* okay.

Buttoned it back up and, for the test, went back to a direct wire from the Batt on the dizzy to the + side of the battery, re-connected the timing light and put it back in its viewfinder between
the hood and cowl.

"Crank, crank, crank, crank, crank."

I have to say that all this time, in between tests and no-starts, I'm checking for over 12v at the battery and the batt connector on the distributor. And, just because I'm paranoid, I'm looking
down the gut of the carb to make sure the "squirt factor" is there.

So, I'd love to have any comments. Particularly, I'm scratching my head over the fact that it starts (fires right up) enough of the time to make me thing that she's now reliable.
Until, like this morning, she didn't....And WON'T.....until I do SOMETHING. In fact, I was so p*ssed that I couldn't figure it out (when I thought I HAD long before this), that I just took
the coil back off, put the air cleaner back on, and hooked up the float-charger to the new, disconnected BOSCH battery.

I'd LOVE a hug!!!