<Be kind to me as a newbie and a complete auto idiot, but I've decided to try to
bring my syncro  back to health myself and have lots of questions.>

Well, if it were mine, the first thing I would do is check/clean ALL eletrical connections in the engine compartment, including grounds. Check (or better yet replace) all vacuum hoses. Check the AFM meter boot for cracks/leaks. Check and/or replace plugs/wires/cap/rotor and verify that all have the same type connector ( I got bit by this, my cap was old style and wires were new style-it ran well for a while this way) Check/clean battery cables and ground strap. All this can be done for little cost, these are the first things I always check/replace on any new van I buy. I bought one van that barely started, and when it did, it would wheeze/cough and the engine shook violently. Just replacing the vacuum lines cured that.     Good luck!    Jeff

PS-also check/replace fuel lines & filter