Rough idle
When all else fails; Try this;
Step 1
crank the rpm up to 1200
reset the mixture screws to 1.75 turns,
and then BACK THE TIMING UP, to in the range of 8 to 12 degrees.
Finally, reset your idlespeed to 650 in gear, and reset the mixture screws to lean best idle plus 1/4 turn, which should be ~1.75 turns.
If it's not in the range of 1.75 to 2.5 turns,
then the transfers are still not right.
If the mixture screws are at less than 1.75 turns, the engine wants LESS transfer fuel.
If they are at more than 2.5 turns, then the engine wants MORE transfer fuel.
Do what you gotta do to get the mixture screws into the range of 1.75 to 2.5 at about 700 in Neutral/Park. I'd shoot for 2.25 turns on that AFB
Step 2
To set the idle speed, you use idle-timing. Do not be overly concerned about the actual idle-timing number, just give the engine whatever it wants to satisfy the idle speed, and freedom from either stalling going into gear, or banging hard. The less timing she has, and to a point, the slower she idles; the smoother and with less drama, she will engage a gear.
When the ratio of transfer fuel to idle-mixture screw fuel is right; your engine will, or should, idle just fine, down to 5* idle timing and 550 rpm. I know this because mine does, and it is nearly the same build as yours, except I have Edelbrock heads.
Step 3
Tip-in hesitation; you will know you are getting very close to the right ratio of transfer to mixture fuel, because at a slow rate of throttle tip-in, this does not result in a hesitation, and you might be able to reduce your pumpshot; then you know that you are very close.
Step 4
you will have to re-engineer the POWER-timing and the RATE of advance to regain the lost response due to the retarded Idle-timing.
Your biggest hurdle will be to give the engine just the right amount of advance at stall; and then to ramp it up to all-in at the lowest rpm your engine will take it without detonating. Lemmee suggest 34* at 3400 for a safe starting number. Whatever the timing turns out to be between idle and stall is of very little consequence because you can augment that with Vacuum-advance timing; oh sorry, your D does not have a V-can/your loss. IMO, you need to fix that.
OK here's the theory;
At 20* idle-advance you have basically nearly shut off the fuel supply from the transfers, and are idling almost exclusively on the mixture screws. Then when you put it into gear, the engine cannot get enough fuel under load to continue running at the chosen idle speed.
Go back to post #1 and revue what you wrote
It is taking a lot of fuel to run, my idle mixture screws are almost all out, and when i partially choke it, it seems to run a little better.
This here is telling me the engine wants more transfer fuel. The only way to do that is to increase the throttle opening.... which increases the idle speed ....... which makes it slam into gear harder. Your only other choice for idlespeed control is to reduce the idle-timing. This is why I said "I can see your problem from here".
BTW
That "small" Edelbrock cam works best with headers to wake your bottom-end up.
My apologies to
@yellow rose for jumping in, but this thread was IMO, rapidly decaying.
