engine rattle in 3rd and 4th gear

[Jonwaba]

So I was having alot of trouble the past few weeks with my engine stalling and a lot of backfiring and power loss so after quite a bit of frustration and troubleshooting I replaced the points and the condenser and it seems to be running much better except for a rattle at mid rpm while acceleration in third and fourth gear but not in first and I don't think I hear it in second gear... the only other things I have changed in the past week or so have been the air filter and I took out all the spark plugs and cleaned them (I they were all pretty clean except the #2 which had some carbon deposits on it) I was looking around in the back for loose stuff and the only thing that is moving is the fuel filter but it is not loud enough to hear from inside the car. Any suggestions?[/b][/code]

[Blue Baron]

Assuming you completed the tuneup (plugs, set timing, valve adjustment, clean contacts on rotor and cap), your description of a rattle is still too vague to troubleshoot from. I could give suggestions, but the list would be as long as my arm. From your description I'd have to actually drive your car to give advice.

[fatalifeaten]

Eliminate some of the simple stuff. Crawl under and look at your trans mounts. Do they look like they've been on the car for 40 years? If they're done, you'll get vibrations at certain ranges. Next, check all your tins and make sure they're secured. Check the shock bushings. Check the rubber body mounts under the back seat.. Check to see if your hubcap clips are loose. Check your wires and hoses. Do they show any signs of abrasion or chafing? It's been my experience that rattles are things bumping into each other because they're loose somewhere or their seals/bushings/other shutter-uppers have failed and now they're not shutting up.

Is it really a rattle or is it a hum, whine, shudder, stutter, etc? as BB mentioned, the list is miles long and different noises will lead you different places.