Something wrong with the carburetor. Probably some of the internal fuel passages are plugged. Might want to verify that all vacuum lines are in good condition.
Soak it in ice/dunk it in ice to cool it off every now and then.
crankshaft sensor going.
Check for vacuum leaks.
Your fuel pump may not be able to keep the pressue up, because of either a worn pump or clogged fuel filter, or clogged tank filter.
This can be a number of things. What comes to mind first is, if this is an A/T you may have a bad lock-up torque converter, or the solenoid is stuck. If the engine runs and idles great until you put it in drive, this would be my guess.
It could be a dirty air filter or a dirty throttle body.
The same thing happened with my a987 Chevy Celebrity 2.8L V6. Its problem turned out to be failed fuel injectors. I replaced 3 out of the 6 injectors and it has been fine since.
I had the same problem with my 95 celica gt convertible. Turns out, the idle air control valve goes out on these things and you have to replace it or you just wont have any power...i.e. it stalls. The part costs $250, but you can find it online for $90.
Check for a major vacuum leak.
My 89 jeep Cherokee surges at idle and sometimes stalls but runs fine once you are going what could cause this?
NO IT CANT CAUSE A VAC. LEAK. BUT IF ITS A MEC.FUEL PUMP I HAD THE SAME PROB WITH MY 305. I CANGED THE PUMP AND SOLVED THE PROB.
Possibly Crankshaft Position sensor