[velomann]

romines,
for the nasty whining sound and difficulty in finding your first gear gate, try to change the transmission fluid, and new shift bushings for your shift rod. these two little maintenance items can make a world of difference and are not terribly expensive. when you install the new bushings and realign the shift rod, first should be much easier to find. after that, the best thing you could do would start with new points, plugs, cap, and rotor if you have not done that yet. since you are running carbs, you are in luck that you do not have to try and figure out what is wrong with your computer and injectors! hopefully whoever rebuilt your carbs did the job right, since you also have a new fuel pump as well! good luck and hopefully it will not be too costly of a repair, these are really great cars to drive and have fun with!