i have a 78 olds cutlas that sat for a year or so im having problems keeping it idling it will start just fine when i give it gas but it wont idle at all when driving i have to use the brake and gas to keep it running ive checked the hoses for vacuum leaks on top of motor and didn"t see any thing out of ordinary if i put my hand somewhat over carb it seem a little better chance to idle but it still seems to die any advice would be helpful thanks also i have a 71 chevelle.

When a car sits for a while like this, I usually find that it saves me a lot of grief to just go ahead and overhaul the carb. Fuel tends to dry out and gum up over time, and moving parts such as the choke linkage gets stuck. You might try spraying the linkages with WD-40 and working it by hand to make sure everything is loosened up. Then spray some carb cleaner into the float bowl vent and try sucking it through by opening the throttle (engine running, trans in park) with one hand, and momentarily closing the choke with the other. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If everything is moving and opening like it should, then about the only thing left is to go through the carb.