Acceleration on this car is just plain horrible. loses speed on even the slightest hill, and when I press down on the accelerator, it seems that I get just NO power till the transmission kicks down.

Any ideas?

if it seems to run smooth, but has no power, look at the cam timing along with what has already been said

is the car equipped with a catalytic convertor?

also try checking the secondary jet for an obstruction.My c wagon was like that when I got it and that is what it turned out to be.

I'm not up on that style of carb but a number of guys here are. You should have the secondary opening up sooner than wot. Just out of curiosity, have you checked to see how much exhaust is actually coming out of the tail pipe? The cat could be part of your problem...poss ibly plugged. If you find it doesnt seem like much is coming out of the pipe, cut the cat loose and see if the engine runs better.

While this might be considered by some to be a "tuneup in a can", I read up on this and decided to try it in my '74 with 140,000 miles. There's a product called "Kreen" made by the same company that makes "Kroil" penetrant. I added 1/2 pint to the crankcase and have run it for around 400 miles so far. What it does is it dissolves carbon very quickly, so if there is carbon buildup on the oil control rings or compression rings and lands, it will remove it and possibly restore compression or reduce oil consumption.  Since adding it to my crankcase, I have picked up 200 rpm at idle, idle has smoothed out, felt an increase in mid-range power, and had my gas mileage increase 2 mpg. If your engine is clean, you would likely not see much benefit. Many that have used it have examined used oil filters for any evidence of increased wear, but to my knowledge this has not been an issue.
The oil takes on a very dark amber appearance as it works. I'll be doing an early oil change and using the second 1/2 pint to see if it is done cleaning. Typically, oil changes stay clean longer after treatment as the rings seal better. I'm skeptical by nature, but so far I can't attribute the changes to anything else I've done on the engine.
Just my .02....

You can probably do a good cleaning and rebuild on the carb instead of buying a new one.

While this might be considered by some to be a "tuneup in a can", I read up on this and decided to try it in my '74 with 140,000 miles. There's a product called "Kreen" made by the same company that makes "Kroil" penetrant. I added 1/2 pint to the crankcase and have run it for around 400 miles so far. What it does is it dissolves carbon very quickly, so if there is carbon buildup on the oil control rings or compression rings and lands, it will remove it and possibly restore compression or reduce oil consumption.  Since adding it to my crankcase, I have picked up 200 rpm at idle, idle has smoothed out, felt an increase in mid-range power, and had my gas mileage increase 2 mpg. If your engine is clean, you would likely not see much benefit. Many that have used it have examined used oil filters for any evidence of increased wear, but to my knowledge this has not been an issue.
The oil takes on a very dark amber appearance as it works. I'll be doing an early oil change and using the second 1/2 pint to see if it is done cleaning. Typically, oil changes stay clean longer after treatment as the rings seal better. I'm skeptical by nature, but so far I can't attribute the changes to anything else I've done on the engine.
Just my .02....

I would be very careful with any of these treatments. They're known to knock borderline gaskets (including head gaskets) loose, and increase blow-by on worn out rings. With a high mileage engine, sometimes that sludge is what's keeping it from leaking horribly.

that seems to be a whole bunch of initial timing that you have dialed in.  i'm not familiar at all with 2.3 motors but, is this figure any where near normal?

Yes it is. Normal is 20 degrees before TDC. I think I have mine set to around 23, they like to be run advanced a little extra.

My info is that there was a big difference between the 1976 and later ignition timing settings.  6 degrees BTDC@700rpm for manual transmission cars 1976 and later 2.3 4 cylinders.
For automatic cars 1976 and later 2.3 motor is 20 degrees BTDC. @550rpm. A big difference but I have it here in Chiltons book.   Idle speed is 850 for manual and 750 rpm for automatics.
Thats what it says.   Advance your ignition until it pings then retard it. I found out that my motor is a 1977 and timed it as above.  Goes better but doesn't idle as smooth when I had it at 6 degrees BTDC.
Fred

that seems to be a whole bunch of initial timing that you have dialed in.  i'm not familiar at all with 2.3 motors but, is this figure any where near normal?

You can probably do a good cleaning and rebuild on the carb instead of buying a new one.

I would be very careful with any of these treatments. They're known to knock borderline gaskets (including head gaskets) loose, and increase blow-by on worn out rings. With a high mileage engine, sometimes that sludge is what's keeping it from leaking horribly.

I've never heard of oil treatments that "knock borderline gaskets", especially on a 2.3. The beauty of having someone ELSE take the risk of trying something new is if it fails, nobody else's engine is damaged. I've used similar products for decades at dealerships (remember GM top engine treatment as an approved warranty "fix" for carbon knock on the quad 4?) and though there may be the possibility of increasing oil consumption by cleaning the rings, odds are if your oil control rings are THAT gunked up, you already have a consumption problem. In my case, I have regained some compression without increasing oil consumption on an engine with 140,000 miles. I can feel a bit more power (it is a 2.3 after all), and may get better mileage if I could keep my foot out of it. If someone's engine is marginal and has been neglected, they really have 2 courses..... try it, or drive it in the ground. Ultimately, if the treatment "harms" the engine or it's driven in the ground, it'll require a rebuild anyhow. If the treatment helps (as it has with my engine), it will delay a rebuild with the added benefit of a bit more power. Nothing ventured, nothing gained......