These cars are extremely dependent on three things: good vacuum, good electrical connections and a good supply of clean fuel. In my book, 90% of problems with stock engines can be attibuted to simple problems in one of these three systems. (Yet people will spend hundreds of dollars on replacing expensive components rather than take a half-hour to clean connectors and check their vacuum). So, long story short, keep all your vaccum lines, and keep them tight. Even your heater depends on them.
Unless you do the real old-school hot rod trick of swapping the L-6 for a SBC.
If you're a newbie, here's a quickie trick for testing your vacuum system: with the engine warm and idling, unscrew the oil filler cap. If the engine stumbles and dies (large vacuum leak), your vacuum system is tight. If only a small difference or none at all, major vaccuum leak.