As I've heard here from several of you and read online, the vacuum gauge seems to be an overlooked tool that should be used more often!
I was able to time the motor (so I believe) using the gauge to obtain the most vacuum (and backing down slightly approximately 1 Hg from that reading to be safe) and also used with the carb to get the "best" fuel/air mixture I could. From there, I adjusted the idle speed by ear to a "good" rpm. Even after replacing the small exhaust gasket that burned through, there is still a slight miss in the motor. This may probably never go away...
I took the car out yesterday on a 15 mile test run and she ran great. In fact, the acceleration (especially from a dead stop) seemed to be a lot smoother with no hesitation or the occasional stumble (I think my timing may have been too retarded before). I'm attributing this better performance (knock on wood!) to the motor operating at the highest/optimum vacuum along with the adjusted carb setting.
Now, on to some other things to play with on the car...thanks all for the help you've given me from previous threads!
Ted
That's great!