Welcome to the board Cix. Hopefully you will get your new hobby sorted out so you can enjoy it! I want to say that there is some kind of insulating disk in the distributor which can get carbon tracks on it but I can't find reference to it. It was mentioned in a STAR article several years ago. Wait found it here, second post down, hopefully you can see it without being registered to this other board. This is probably not it as you are not running at all, but anyway, for future reference here is a link ... On an old E28 BMW I had, it would randomly die completely. Turned out to be bad connection to the battery, believe it or not. Check the simple things like all main electricals and grounds. But you knew that.
http://www.*********.com/forums/showthread.php?3168-Engine-still-skipping-a-beat-every-few-seconds&highlight=star+article
Your troubleshooting skills seem up to the task, carry on.
Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 398K