I loved learning how to tune up and maintain my first 2 cars. Timing, dwell, distributor cap, points, valve adjustments. Once you get good at something like this, you can tune up a car for more power, better mileage, etc.
A friend in Kalifornia has a 1970s pickup truck. He replaced the original 2 barrel carburetor with a 4 barrel. When he went to get it smogged, the creeps would not sign off since it was not original equipment. It passed all the actual tailpipe emissions tests. He put the original back, received the smog certificate, and then put the better, more effective, efficient 4 barrel carburetor back on.
I hope to replace the aged and worn out 350 in the project blazer later this year.
Fuel injection is the way I want to go.
My history of setting carbs and related isn’t that great.
I did put a 2 barrel Weber on my 65 Willys jeep and right out the box it was close enough for me not to mess with it. Converting to an electric fuel pump was also a plus. I had to put an in line regulator.
The first time I put power, the 25 dollar electric pump drenched the engine in fuel in a few seconds. The time it took me to flip the key.