The fuel pressure is 38 PSI but without vaccum assit its 42ish. any suggestions?

New fuel pump and filter.

 

isnt that what is hould be, check in he dark and see if you can see any of your plug wires arching

 

NO arcing. Maybe a misadjusted rocker?

 

Looks close to normal.... you might want to mention what year, major mods etc. The "signature" field is useful for that purpose.

Anything between 41-47psi without vacuum compensation is acceptable. When you reconnect the vacuum compensation line, pressure will drop in proportion to intake manifold vacuum.... an 8psi drop might be seen on a stock cam, maybe as little as 1/2 of that with a more aggessive cam. The real question is does the system hold 42psi all the way up to max rpm/max load?