As an update thank you all so much for your advice here on this thread! To make a long story short, the new mechanic I took it too, removed and cleaned the Carter carb (also blew with air hose), adjusted the timing, put on new spark plug wires and clips and the car runs great. You guys were right, just need a good cleaning and tune up. The mechanic who has been working on classics for 35 years said my Mopar was the best running Mopar he ever driven in and that included all of the new engines that he installed along the way. Wow! What a compliment. (there were no vacuum leaks but this mechanic thought one spark plug wire may have been burnt from sitting on the engine block - this could have been from when the previous mechanic was testing the motor).
Before the the carb cleaning, the engine did not responsd to adjustments, but after cleaning and new wires, it responds like it should.
I finally got it back today, drove it around town and it ran great. So keeping the Carter carb and you all were right about it! Thank you so much. So this thread has been completed.
Having that said on the way home on the 36th mile, it overheated and I wrote about that on the Heating / Cooling forum. Please go to that thread for that issue. But the carb issues is now solved.
