check all of your spark plug wires at the plugs and at the cap. Im my experience, when you put new wires on the older distributors they seem to take a while for the boots to stay on tight. If one has come loose it could do as you discribe. You say the carb was just rebuilt, probably not adjusted right. Do you have a vac gauge? Get one if not, about $20 at sears, lowes, or probably your local auto store. There should be a port on your carb or manifold somewhere that pulls constant vacum (dont know what carb you have). Hook your vac gauge there, You should have two idle screw on your carb, one on each side. turn them both all the way in until they just lightly bottom out, then bring them both out around 1-1 1/2 turn to start. Start the engine and lower you idle speed to about 650-700 rpms and observe the reading on the vac gauge, If it wont start, bring the both screws out another 1/2 turn and try to start again and repeat until it starts. Once it starts, you want to bring the screws, one side at a time in or out (in is lean=less gas. out is rich=more gas) to gain the highest vac reading you can get. bring one out and if the vac increases stop and bring the other screw out the same amount, and alternate back and fouth with the screws moving in or out the same amount, so say, if you bring one out 1-3/4 turn, you need to bring the other out the same. Once you get the highest vac reading you are done. typically not more than 2-1/2 turn out. Im guessing you will only need to turn them in a little to lean it out some. As your vacum increases so will your idle which is why you turn it down to start with. When your done you can reset the idle where you like it. I dont know what vac the 232 pulls at idle but I would think around 15-19". My 327 pulls 13-14 at idle.
It just dawned on me that maybe your idle speed is just set too low.
Hopfully others will chime in if I skiped anything.
