vacuum advance disabled

[39topless]

Just noticed that the vacuum advance inlet on the distributor of my '39 V8 85 was plugged off by the former owner. He had installed a 3X2 setup and the intake does not have the vacuum port like on the stock manifold. Am I crazy or does this engine not require the vacuum advance? The engine runs rich and cuts out under load. I thought it was a carburetion issue.
Your thoughts are much appreciated.
Phil