[undy]

The lack of cranking capability could be a separate issue, not tied to the ignition timing. ...not saying it is either, but i could be inadequate wire size, defective/inadequate starter/relay or a poor ground to mention a few.

I've seen used balancers reused by engine builders before, jus' covering all the bases. I wasn't saying YOUR engine could have a leak, just the engine that the balancer "could" have been on in a previous life. I was just descibing things that typically kill a balancer.

As said before it's "normal" for it to run better (to a limit) the further you go BTDC.

As Pat said, you're probably at a point you need to return it to the builder.