my 87 ccc firebird idles high while in park and neutral and while im driving it continues to accelerate iv checked for vacuum leaks and cleaned up some of the previous owners "work" but i cant seem to find the cause of this my patients and my brake pads are wearing thin

 

Could the idle stop solenoid be mis-adjusted? Does the car have functional AC? If the AC compressor is disconnected or inop and the AC switch is on the idle stop solenoid will force the idle high. Is the choke opening fully? The fast idle cam could be stuck.

 

Assuming that adjusting the curb idle set screw does nothing and that there are two throttle return springs connected and they're still tight?

When it's idling high, ensure that the idle lever is resting on the curb idle set screw. If it is not, find out what is holding it open. Could be stuck fast idle under the choke, idle bump solenoid or worn throttle bushings.

If it's resting correctly, check for vacuum leaks. I like to plug EVERY port then with a dwell meter connected, reconnect each port and observe for change in idle quality and dwell reading.

 

my car just had a similar problem and the cruise control cable was binding, causing the throttle to open

 

I'm almost certain the problem lies with the throttle plate hung open, as Naf suggested. When you first start the car for the day, cold, observe the behavior of the carb's components. If it's off kilter, I would suggest simply rebuilding the carb - about $30 and the rebuild writeup from Naf,
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/carb...-ccc-qjet.html
,as well as the stickies under the Carburetor forum will set you straight - helped me well enough with my E4ME Qjet...can't thank the guys here on TGO enough.