My engine idles at 750 at a stop light, but if I put it in Park It revs to 1300. hat the hell? Also, while driving at (lets say) 2500, if I put it in neutral, the engine will drop its RPMs down to 1300... should be lower. But, like I said, in gear at a stop light, it idles just like it should. Is this normal or not right at all?

Sounds like a tight convertor that is loading the motor in gear.

vac leak? or really bad carb adjustment?

You probably have your idle set too high. You may have had to set it too high if your converter is too tight for your cam.
Try dropping your idle to 600 in gear.

What's happening is that when it is in gear the converter is holding the engine back-actually, the engine is trying to push the car and fighting the converter. (That sounds worse than it is-that's kind of the converter's job.)
When you take the load off (disengage the transmission) the engine is able to get to that higher idle speed.

I have to admit I'm a little rusty on this, so I'm not sure of the proper procedure, but I'd try setting the idle in neutral to about 750 and then put it in gear and see if it stalls. If so, then raise the idle until it doesn't stall when you put it in gear and you should be all set.

FWIW, the slower the torque converter is turning the less it tries to do. Right now you have a 550 rpm drop, but if you slow down the engine speed it will not try as hard to drive the transmission, so you will have less of a drop. Lowering the neutral idle from 1300 to let's say 800 will not mean that the in gear idle will go from 750 to 200 (550 rpm drop).

Vacuum leak or is your idle being adjusted by opening the the venturis rather than still resting mostly on the idle circut? If so, re-jetting the primary could help.

I'm not getting a rise in RPMs when I spray around the intake manifold, so I'll try dropping the idle in nuetral and see what happens when I put it in gear.

Haven't had a chance yet but i have a question... Wouldn't a vacuum leak cause high idle in gear as well? its perfectly normal in gear.

Dude - I have exatly the same problem. Searched high and low for vac leaks, but came up empty.
Also, if I turn down the idle any more, it will eventually stall out.
Actually, I let it run in gear at about 600 rpm, and when it starts to sputter at a light or something, I just knock it into nuetral for a sec to let it "catch back up"
Interesting about the torque converter though. Is there a way - without pulling the trans - to know what kind of converter I have?
Kinda makes sense cause when I let off the brake, the car is just itchin to go.
Is a converter somehow different than a "stall converter" --> cuase I got no stall!

Sounds normal for a car that needs a carb cleaning. If carb is working right you should be able to idle it down to 600-650.

71 Camaro. I can idle it down past 600 in gear with no stall but still have the high idle problem in Park. My carb is in new condition. I'll have to tinker with it. I'll go back and adjust the idle screws with a vacuum gauge, readjust the idle in nuetral and see what happens.

Put your foot on the brake and rev the engine and see how high it will rev. Thats your torque converter. I don't know if this is extremely accurate but mine will only to 2500. And I do have a 2500 stall.

Try taking some jet and a degree or two out of the timing and add it to the vacuum advance side (if your running it).

My IROC w/ my 357 had that problem even w/ a 2400 stall and a eddy carb...some adjusting and away it went.

Got Rat,
Do you mean decreasing my jet size? Also, I'm at 16*, do you mean cut it down to 14* and add more vac advance?