All of that may go away once you time the engine with your new light. I have a nice timing light, but the way to get it close is by ear. Loosen the distributor clamp (the screw in the back of the vac advance, not the hex head bolt) just a little, then run the engine, carefully turn the distributor one way, then the other listening for when it runs best at idle. Once you find the sweet spot, turn it counterclockwise just enough to hear it start to come down from the sweet spot just a little. Tighten the clamp and see if things do not run better overall. There is much more to it, like the idle screw on the carb, valve adjustments, point and plug gaps, but it's great you are learning about all this! It's a fun journey for the most part!
