Ray,
Sounds like you got a great car in need of a little TLC.
The soot may be nothing but needing the new plugs.
I bet you and your family enjoy the heated seats in you area.
I can only use mine a couple times a year hear in Fla.
You may want to look closer at the air pump vacuum valve. At first I did not see any problems till the nipple came off in my hand.

Robert,
The hose is on the drivers side of the distributor. I'm talking about the ignition not the fuel distributor. It is really easy to see.