New to Mopars---BUT always a cool different car fan.

You need to tune that engine if it is sluggish in first gear. Points? Timing? Adjust carb? Is the choke open? Then I'd try shifting from 2nd to 4th gear as in post #24 above. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell what someone did with your 4 speed from the outside. Then figure out what rear ratio you have for sure. Do all the tires spin easy? Something sounds way off.