Ive got myself a 1979 b310 that I finally have gotten running. It received a full tune-up (spark plugs, wires, rotor, cap, battery, oil change, air filter, new strut ((on one side only but that's another story)) My friend and I have tuned the carb and it seems to idle and drive smoothly for the most part. The one problem i'm having has to do with driving the car in first gear. If I dont give it a considerable amount of gas it bogs out and many times even causes the car to shut off completely. I've also experienced this bogging out in 2nd gear. Anyone know what could be amiss? Another question: anyone know what the point of the air pump is? I bought the car without it hooked up and the car runs fine. We hooked it up yeasterday just for fun and it made the motor shake. Maybe that's because the carb wasnt tuned to the new air mixture? or maybe a bad air filter connected to the air pump?thanks!

The air pump is supposed to supply air to the exhaust ports where it mixes with the searing hot gasses. The oxygen in the air allows any remaining unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust to be consumed in the flame & therefore be prevented from polluting the atmosphere.

Have a look into your carb & quickly open the throttle from idle to wide open [engine off] You should see a nice steady stream of fuel from the accelerator pump. If you see little or none, then this could be the cause of your 'bog' problem.

It's possible that you will need to dismantle the carb for a thorough cleanout & for this, a minor overhaul kit would be needed.

Did you replace the points, then set them with a dwell angle meter before setting the timing, ... or does it have electronic ignition?
Either way, you don't mention setting the timing, so if this was overlooked, now would be a good time to time it.

my b310 does have an electronic ignition and I just bought a new coil for it. I dont remember messing with timing at all. So the air pump is just there to eliminate hydrocarbons? Does this mean that it isnt essential for good performance? Thanks for the advice.