So my all stock 1990 EF is doing some strange things.

From a stop my clutch catches super late and when it does the car rocks back and forth till i reach a decent speed.

could this be my engine not being powerful enough to get me up to speed or is it a tranny issue?

 

Under your battery, on the transmission, there is a cable with a plastic **** thing around it. This is your clutch cable. Turn the plastic **** clockwise 4-5 turns and see if your clutch engages sooner now.

I don't know about the rocking, that seems like a suspension issue or something.

 

^WHA? Turning the **** clockwise will tension the cable and raise the grab-point even higher. You need to turn it a couple clicks counter clockwise to add a little slack to the system. This will lower the grab point in the clutch pedal.

Also consider replacing your engine mounts. Even with proper clutch adjustments, my engagement was pretty shuddery/rough. After replacing the rear trans torque mount, it smoothed out significantly. This mount is a total PITA to replace though so be aware. But the torque mounts will wear significant'y quicker if your main left & right mounts are bad. Only problem is they are really expensive. I think it's about $150 for just the left & right mounts. Replacing those two made the car smooth as glass though. Now when I start the car, it's like the engine is far away in another room (my old ones were badly sagged and very hard). Definitely worth the cost. Front torque mount is the cheapest of the 4, and can be reinforced by filling the voids with short pieces of fuel hose (supposed to help w/ wheel hop).

PS: Only use OEM mounts. I tried aftermarket ones and they are so shitty, they won't even come close to fitting. I wasted money having to ship them back.