American Motors: amc eagle 4.2L 254 straight 6, sputters when i hit the gas., amc eagle, dark car

Question
Kevin, thanks muchos.  I decided, after posting, to go take a look under the hood (about 3am working graves) in the dark.  Car started beautifully still, pulled back the throttle, and voila, The passenger side of the engine lit up bright blue.  The spark lead to cylinder 1 started arching to the block when the coil generated a little more charge.  Some electrical tape got me home.
Just thought I'd mention that as while it was a silly oversight on my behalf, it saved me several hours, and about $50 to rebuild my carb.

In followup however, to your suggestion, you were also correct, even though that wasn't my primary problem, I did take a look at the carb, and the venturi was dripping slightly at idle.  I disassembled the venturi cluster and cleaned it out with carb cleaner and a toothbrush.  I now have nearly 25% more torque through all power ranges :) thanks.
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Followup To

Question -
My eagle runs a 4.2L 254 straight 6.
Its always had issues with timing, and it leaks oil into the cylinders.
I dealt with this by periodically replacing the spark plugs.
I also noticed i was getting a bit of drip in the carb so I spent a few hours tuning things and cleaning.

I sprayed out the carb with carb cleaner, threw in new plugs, gapped them to .035, set the timing, and took a drive.
The car purred at idle, for the first time in a year, but when i hit the gas, it sputters horribly and sounds like it wants to be left to die.
I get up to speed, and it runs mostly smooth again.
Drop back down to city speeds, and every time i hit the gas, it sputters and lurches again.
I'm getting spark at least to all the spark leads.
I reved the engine while under the hood, and it hesitates from 400 to about 600 rpm, then runs smooth, but when i'm IN the car, pushing torque, it hesitates untill i let off the gas.
Any Idea's?


Answer -
Ben,
It sounds like the acceleration circuit of your carburetor has a problem. With the engine NOT running, remove the air cleaner and look down into the carburetor with a flashlight. Slowly open the throttle and look for a steady stream of gas spraying into the venturi of the carburetor. That's the acceleration circuit. It sounds like yours isn't working properly.
The simple cure would be replace it with a reman unit. An alternative would be to overhaul the carburetor which would include replacing the accelerator pump and making the necessary adjustments. If you have never overhauled a carburetor before, this might be a challenge. Or, find someone to do it; just make sure they have experience with rebuilding a Carter BBS carburetor.
Good Luck,
Kevin

Answer
Glad you were able to locate the problem. When sitting here on my computer trying to assist on diagnosing, I sometimes overlook the simple stuff. Time for a new set of wires, eh?  
As for leaking oil into the cylinders, your engine was notorious for going through valve stem oil seals. There are two types of oil seals that slide down on the valve stem. One is black neoprene, the other is a cream color nylon.  
We always used the nylon seals when replacing them. They seem to do a better job. When your valves are in the open position and the piston is moving down, it creates a vaccuum in the cylinder to draw in fuel/air mixture. Unfortunately, it also can suck in oil from around the valve stems. Thus, valve stem oil seals. They can be replaced without removing the cylinder head, if you have the right tools and an air compressor.
Good luck.
Kevin