'82 GT trouble-Once bitten, twice shy

[SECESH]

Took my '82, which has been working fine up to this point, out for a drive and it now has a distinct hesitation during acceleration, around 1500 rpm. Aborted mission and returned to base. Can't duplicate the stumble except when in motion. Revs smoothly and idles perfectly sitting still.
Some time back I was derisively referring to it as the "trailer queen" because I had to go fetch it home three times. Thought we had that issue fixed. It has its original carb and aftermarket catalytic converters. Maybe catalytic insides moving around?
Now I am once again not in a hurry to drive it further than I may want to walk home.
On a good note, I got Susie's '82 running with the new electric choke(Holley 4160) installed and working. Turned it around so I can get to the radiator support to pull it back where it belongs. The hot stapler worked wonders, however the inside of the urethane looks, at this point, like something out of Frankenstien's laboratory. The two-part adhesive is still on backorder from Eastwood's, so that part of the repair is on hold.
Decided to replace both front fenders and they are on their way.
Sometimes I wonder if any project ever really gets finished.

[Snooze04]

Might as well start small maybe your fuel filter is starting to plug up


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[SECESH]

Could be. I've been reading my badly outdated Motors book on Automotive Engines and Electrical Systems, and there is a substantial list of potential causes of a miss during acceleration. Some of the possibilities may only be determined by swapping out devices, since it's intermittent and not a total failure.

[SECESH]

Found the problem as soon as I removed the distributor cap. The pickup coil was interfering with the rotating piece, the name escapes me at present, and filings were all over the magnet looking like heavy whiskers. These were allowing the juice to jump inside the cap rather than at the plugs. Wish I could determine for sure the brand of that pickup coil. The new one is apparently different and fits correctly. There is no play in the shaft.

[grabbergreen84]

Glad you found it. Nice looking '82!

[SECESH]

Thanks. I hope to get it in front of an HVLP spray gun, just as soon as I can after Susie's is done. It's curious how the paint deteriorated worse on the urethane than elsewhere, but I suppose that would be due either to a factory added flex ingredient or to expansion/contraction of the parts. The hard plastic and fiberglass seem to hold paint equally with the metal.
This car is only my second Mustang, the first was a '80 with a 3.3L sick (sic) cylinder. Poor thing. Fastest thing it ever did was depreciate.

[grabbergreen84]

It's curious how the paint deteriorated worse on the urethane than elsewhere, but I suppose that would be due either to a factory added flex ingredient or to expansion/contraction of the parts. The hard plastic and fiberglass seem to hold paint equally with the metal.

They all do that, even the red ones. I've also wondered why.