Installed a new distributor from Scoggin-Dickey the night before I went back to work, so the project was on hold til yesterday..........
This morning I went out to try and diagnose a high idle with surging.........dug out my old WalMart DVOM ($19.99 back in 2002) and started checking the TPS voltages...........reference was a bit low at 4.8 volts, but close. Signal voltage with key ON and engine off was out of spec......supposed to be .05-1.2 volts. Mine was showing 1.8 volts, so I replaced the TPS and wow!
Idle is silky smooth, no hiccups, the power is good (not what I think is possible with some tuning, but that will come next week); all in all, I think this project has FINALLY taken a turn for the better. Took my son for a spin in it, and even with the worn out, blown out glasspacks on it, you can barely hear it at idle. As a matter of fact, I had to rev it to make sure it was running cause he was sure the engine had died.
Thanks to all who post here.......I read a lot of posts and threads to see what works and what doesn't, you guys have helped me just by posting your own problems and solutions.
Next up, gonna repin the ECM connectors to mate up with the '95 TBI PCM I picked up a while back. Wish me luck!

 

Always nice when you nail that ONE little thing that makes a big difference in how well the engine runs. Have fun with it!