Poor Acceleration

[smbaird37]

Thanks for the great ideas guys! The fuel pressure test showed some floating between 3.5 and 4 pounds. Is this significant? While I had the gauge out, I tested the vacuum. At low idle it showed about 16 in. Hg, high idle up 18 in. Hg. Gauge suggests late timing for 16 and normal for 18.
Not sure what to make of this information. Fuel pressure does vary but doesn't seem like it would be enough to starve the carb. I am becoming more inclined to look for problems with the old carb. It the missing, hesitation, stuttering occurs generally when I would expect the secondary butterfly to open up. The issue seems bigger than simply fine tuning the timing. I will tinker with it some more and see if I can get it better. The car can also be a bitch to get started - though I am still figuring out the right choke and start process. Any other tips always appreciated!
Oh, still need to check the cables for arching...
~S

[majicwrench]

Fuel pressure, you don't say when the pressure varies, that is the key information. If the pressure is dropping as engine is losing power, bingo. If pressure drops at all, it means the pump cannot keep up, and yes, level starts dropping, engine starts losing power. Checking pressure sitting still reving it etc will tell you very little usefull at this point.
Not fond of vacuum readings.
Timing won't make it "miss". Set it at 10deg BTDC
Full choke, pump throttle a couple times, it should fire right up, then push choke back in halfway or so. As engine warms over next minute or two, push choke in further. They are all a little diff.
Keith

[So Cal Mark]

I doubt the pressure is your issue, 3lbs is plenty for these cars. Carb could be an issue if the secondary jet is plugged, but it's not hard to tell if that's the issue. Blow down through the secondary air jet with compressed air and that would open it up

[smbaird37]

After tweaking the timing I was able to improve performance to about 80% of the result I was expecting. It was time to re-install the Computronix system. Started right up and the acceleration issues disappeared. Why the first installation failed for me is a mystery but I don't think I'll have to doubt the ignition system next time I have performance problems. Thanks once more for everyone's help!