My 76 has an Edelbrock Q-jet and it runs great. I will see what model you have on the rig I sold you. I think I downloaded the manual in .pdf at some point. You will get answers all over the board on the Edelbrock. Some love them, some hate them. Some swear by injection, others want the ability to fix on the fly. Given the fact that you didn't just win the lotto, if it runs fine, then stick with it for a while in my opinion. Take it to a reputable shop, or a proficient friend, as stated by others and have it looked at. The distributor is an MSD HEI unit as rjfguitar said. You also have to remember that with such an open exhaust as it has now with the rusted out Flowmasters dumping out right after the muffler, the sound isn't going to be the same as a good tuned exhaust that runs all the way out. Some of that popping I believe isn't necessarily a timing issue. I'd start with the more pressing projects first such as the tranny/TC selection, the exhaust, and then the ring/pinion/locker possibilities. The carb should last you for a while until some of the other things are up to snuff. Just my .02.....
