just rebuilt runs bad

Wanted to let everyone know that the engine is back in the car and running great. The machinist told me the degreeing was slightly off but nothing that would cause what we were seeing. He said the real problem was that the lifters were not bleeding down and that maybe increasing the timing compensated. He replaced all the lifters and tested the engine on a stand. He was having timing problems of all things during his first attempts. Murphy was there and it ends up his professional quality light was giving him reading that were off by 6 degrees. His assistant brought out his Walmart light and another to verify.
In the end I to the shop and heard it run on the stand to my satisfaction. There was no charge for anything.

Installed the motor in the car with timing set at 12 BTDC and it's running great. In time I may try tweaking it a little more for performance but for now I just want to drive and enjoy for a while.

In summary who the h$!! knows, there were just too many weird things going on for my thought process to handle. I'd just like to thank each and every one who contributed to this post for sharing their knowledge and supporting me through the ordeal.

Duff