Okay, got clear down to the timing cover, got it off and took a min to clean it up, looked at the timing chain...it is still DOT TO DOT! No slop, basically perfect.....GGGGRRRRR! It did need a front seal, so was not a total waist of time, but still does not fix the original problem.
So to rehash, the truck was running fine, after adding the 35" tires, little loss of power, but that is due to tire size/ rear gears, so no problem there. Wednesday afternoon i deceided to replace the air filter, fuel filter. I changed the air filter, and when I took the threaded peice that holds the fuel filter in the quadrajet off, I saw the threads had been cross threaded in the past, so when I put the new filter in, I used teflon tape on the threads as well as a new gasket...and it leaked when I fired the truck off. I tried a few times to get it to seal up with no luck, got totally frustrated with it, pulled the filter out, used some JB-Quick on the threads and sealed it up that way, with no filter on the carb. I did change the steel hard fuel line out to a rubber line, with a inline filter on it, so it is filtered.
When for a drive to Ft.Collins Colorado, about 50 miles one way, and the truck had no power to climb any hills. On the flats, and down hill it ran fine..75-80 MPH with fair pick up when I need to pass someone/something. Hit a minor hill, and speed would drop down to 50 or so at best real fast. My thought was a vacume leak. I checked for vaccum leaks with either at the base of the carb and at the various vaccum fittings, no leaks found.
I then used a vaccum guage to check the vaccum and found the engine was only making 12" of vaccum. I hooked the vaccum guage up on the manifold, at a fitting right behind the carb. According to a few local mechanics, I should have 22" at sea level, and about 18-20" here in Cheyenne due to elevation, so it is low. The vaccum is steady, but low, and according to my Petersons manual, that indicates a valve timming is late. My thought was timming chain, but as indicated above, when I got to it it was still dot to dot and no slop to it.
I also changed the fuel pump out during this time, as I was thinking maybe the problem was low fuel pressure, but that did not fix the problem, so I went on to the timming chain.
Any ideas guys? Is it possable when I JB-Welded the filter fitting I got some inside the carb and that is fouling things up? Is it possable I have a cam going flat on me? I just need to get this thing fixed for a few months, cause as soon as our taxes get here, we are putting a new GM Crate motor in the truck, my early Birthday present from my wife!

This truck is our ONLY vehicle and we have three kids in school, wife works two jobs and goes to school full time, so we can NOT afford to be with out a car for long.... PLEASE HELP!