losing power when opening the throttle

Hi,

I just joined the board about a week ago and have to say its really helpful. I just bought an 87 lx last week (for $100) and have been working to get it in decent running condition. One of problems I have is kind of hard to explain at first I thought it was the clutch but now I think its the engine or carb. When I'm on the road and shifting , lets say into 2nd and I try to open the throttle semi-agressively, the rpms will go up to around 2700-2800 and then back down to around 2500 even though I'm steadily giving it more gas. I let off the gas a little and open it more gradually and I can get up over 3000. I kinda need some direction as to where to go on this. Also, this is the first time i've had a car with a carb so i'm tryin to feel my way around. I don't know if this matters but when I checked my air filter it smelled like gas. There is no muffler, and I don't see any major puddles on the ground.

Thanks in advance guys ! :)

needs a tuneup maybe? or carb cleaned?

It may be this... check out my post on the loose booster venturi.
https://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=8972

Thanks for the input, I really do need to go over everthing until I'll be able to pinpoint the issue. I'll have to check out the booster venturi and clean the carb this week. I'll also get an oxygen sensor and distributor cap set then we'll see how it goes. Thanks :)