Sputter In Reverse And Neutral

[airplanesandwich]

I just bought a 1975 BMW 580i - I didn't take it to a mechanic prior to purchase as I was desperate for a car - I'm looking forward to learning more about the car and spending some time cleaning it up in the future - I've already bought my $0.70 Haynes Manual however, as I wait for it to show up, I want to throw this question out to everyone to see what your thoughts are.

The car sputters when put in reverse and while in neutral - it sputters slightly in drive until you give it some gas. It's also seems to be shifting slightly slower than it should when it hits high RPMS - I wouldn't call it a hard shift or anything like that, just doesn't necessarily shift when I think it normally should.

I was planning on following the SIMPLE SOLUTION here:

http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/3-s...ter-58855.html

and after that, possibly doing the HOT SOAK once I get the manual and after my flight to London...

Any other ideas prior to me just taking it into a mechanic?

Thanks for your help, I'm a noob!

-Matt