ok, i'll check with my mechanic about the PCV. Thanks for all the great info.

however - I've got GREAT news:

I took the Bronco to a Ford dealership service center, as some people I know have suggested that option. The guy on the phone said there were capable mechanics who could look at and tinker with an '85.

When I got there, the man I spoke to wasn't there, but another man told me that was BS and their mechanics weren't even ALIVE in 1985 and could "probably tinker with a carburetor" but not a guarantee.

He was very honest and basically turned me away, but gave me one great piece of advice. He told me to get Antique Plates. Now, I tried this when I first bought the vehicle, but the woman at the DMV told me they were costly ($200) and didn't provide any real benefits.

But she was WRONG. It turns out in DC, if you have a car that was made 25 years ago -- or 15 years ago, but is no longer in production, you qualify for antique plates AND inspection exemptions for everything but safety (turn signals, hazard lights, horn).

WHAAAT. VERY exciting. Applying for Antique Plates TODAY. hell yes.

 

The plates solve one issue. Does this thing actually run good? You might continue to persue further adjustment if it won't start or run right.

 

well here's the breakdown:

when i first got the truck, minus all of the changes, it ran fine, minus a terrible exhaust smell. mechanic fixed it up (I think i posted the list of repairs on the first page).

last winter was relatively warm, minus one brief cold snap. so while i drove it in what was technically "winter," it wasn't very cold. 50s most of the time. in the freezing cold and snow, i tried to start it once and it didn't, so i just decided in the extreme cold, i wouldn't drive it.

every time it would run rich, i'd bring it in for an adjustment. mechanic told me about twice a year, once before summer, once before winter. but it was getting close to every other month, so he said it was time for a new carburetor.

he put it in, adjusted it, told me to drive it around and see if it was running rich. this was in the fall. no problems. worked like a charm for about one month. and then it would start to stall out while driving. maybe there wasn't enough gas getting into the engine, since DC traffic is pretty bad. lots of stop and go.

i also noticed when i'd turn the steering wheel to make a left turn, it would stall out. mechanic said this was a rebuilt carburetor and so the adjustments that he had nailed down for my old carb were different from this new one, so it'd take a little finagling to get it down right.

this winter, it's been VERY cold, so i've been stalling out a little bit more, which he said is normal if the truck isn't entirely warmed up yet. the problem is, most everywhere in DC is a 10-15 minute drive at the longest, so perhaps it just never got the chance to fully warm up (even with me letting the engine warm up for 5 minutes before driving it anywhere).

so, long story short: it runs fine, minus occasional stalling out in the extreme cold or in lots of stop-and-go traffic.