What could be wrong with my engine...PLEASE HELP

[EvolveES]

Last weekend i swapped my 1914cc engine into my daily driver, it's my only car so i am thinking that wasn't such a smart idea, but it's done. It is has a 019 distributer with a pertronics, dual 44 IDFs and stock heater boxes with a header and hide-away muffler.

In my other bug it always ran great but on tuesday i was cruising and decided to give it some gas. I was cruising down the highway at around 3800 rpms when it felt like it was loosing power and then BANG, a loud pop, and then it was unresponsive to the throttle pedal. I expected the worst and pulled over to find it still idling and nothing seemed out of place in the engine compartment. I reved it up and it sounded ok so i went on my way home.

since then it will cruise down the highway for a few minutes and then start to lose power and eventually the throttle is unresponsive and the car sounds like it's underwater. If i pull over and let it idle for a minute then it will drive normally again for a few minutes then the whole thing starts over. I don't get it, the car ran great for two days and now it's been having this problem. I'm stuck going very slow and lugging the car all the way to work.

MY GUESS AT WHAT"S WRONG:
I switched the electric fuel pump from my other car into this one along with the engine and i noticed that it looked like only a trickle of gas was coming out the hose at the rear of the car when i turned it on. it made fine pressure (3 psi) but didn't seem to have much flow. I am guessing that the carbs are running dry and pulling over gives them a chance to refill for a little while. Or the fuel pump is not getting enough voltage or something like that which is effecting the fuel delivery to the carbs.

I think i am going to switch to a mechanical pump tonight and see if that helps.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, this is my only car and i commute 70 miles a day so i need it to be reliable, i just really hope nothing is seriously wrong with it.

THANKS EVERYONE

[garyj]

You might want to check the gas tank filter. If it's plugged it will decrease the fuel flow. Once the car sits at idle for a bit, enough fuel will be pumped to run normally for a short period of time until the carbs have used more than the plugged filter will allow to flow. I'd check that first before swapping things around or buying anything. If you find that is the case, you should clean the tank too.

[smkn_vw]

You can also try checking or swaping the coil. A coil that is starting to go bad will have a very weak spark and give the effect like it's running out of gas. Some bad coils will let you drive a few blocks and shutdown the motor when the coil gets hot. After coil cools, it will let you drive a few blocks again and do the same.

[EvolveES]

Thanks guys, those are good suggestions. The motor is in a 73 super so i don't believe it has a tank filter (i think the line is raised inside the tank a little bit si it is above settling debris.

On the subject of filters i have a factory filter before the pump and another after the line exits the tunnel an the rear of the car, do you think this could be robbing pressure or flow? On the other car i had an injection style filter before the pump and a cheap galss one at the rear of the car that was really more of a strainer than a filter.

The coil is a Bosch Blue that is a year old and i ohmed it out it and it measured good but i'll check it again tonight.

Thanks again guys.

[EvolveES]

Tonight i diagnosed the problem, it turned out to be a clogged fuel line. It still idles a little wierd but i have been lugging it around for two days so it probably needs a tune up.

thanks for the help

[SGKent]