Well, I'm being a bit optimistic at this point and thinking I may not need to look too far into this option after all. The tech has pinpointed the cylinder that was backfiring and it has good compression and such. Next step is to use a scope to look inside the chamber and see what we can see. I'm hoping that either a good de-carbon soak or something of that nature will get things running well (and quietly) so I can put this thing on the street. Thanks for all the info and input guys.

Shawn Clone Jezabel- 1999 SE Sport V6 MTX- Severly wounded, comatose Silver frost/Black Exterior-Midnight Blue Interior The Firecracker- 1995 Mystique LS V6 MTX stock and backfiring like a rifle shot I have 3 loves, my God, Brittany, and my Car.