Yep. My 88 has fuel filter on tha frame rail too. May just be a "Southern Thang". lol

OP, your battery is probably ****tin the bed.

Must be!

Like UJSLOST my 88 has a fuel filter on the frame rail too. May just be a "Southern Thang". lol

1. Freshen engine grounds. Marginal grounds can result in starting issues.

2. Definitely be sure that all tuneup hardware is fresh as mentioned. Fresh Champion copper plugs gapped to .035, new plug wires, cap, rotor and fuel filter. The importance of a strong secondary ignition cannot be overstated.

so i dont have access to a legit battery tester but i did check it with my volt meter yesterday. before starting it, the volt meter read 12.3 volts. bad battery?

I'd get it load tested. Or if your battery is old as **** anyway, get a new one.
I had an interstate battery that lasted me for 12 years and then it slowly started weakening. It would take longer for the car to start. I swapped it out before it completely ****ed me.

its a blemished duralast that i bought two years ago. and im pretty sure it had been sitting on the shelf for about a million years...