[hgs_notes]

If your vacuum is that low, and the engine has not really been run before, do a valve adjustment. This is almost exactly the symptoms I had on my jimmy. The valves were way too tight, which causes low vacuum and no low end power. I could get it to idle, but it would die as soon as it was put in gear. Do this before you do anything with the torque convertor.

I had adjusted them before it was installed in the truck, but I don't trust that method. If you have a lot of oil on the pushrod tips, the lifters will colapse some while you are tightening them down and you can continue to turn the push rod with your fingers. Even a half turn too much on a couple valves will create problems. Pull the valve cover, start the engine with a vacuum gage on it, loosen the rocker nut until it starts to clack, tighten until the clacking is gone, tighten another half turn. If you have to loosen the nut more than a full turn to here the clacking, it was too tight to begin with.

I may be an amateur body guy, but I know what I'm talking about on this.