It's times like this when a good understanding of the principles of carburetion are helpful. A carburetor like the one on your Ford has 3 primary "systems" that allow it to operate as it should. They are the "idle" system, the "main" system, and the "power enrichment" system. The first two are designed to operate in a steady state, basically allowing the engine to run at a steady low speed (idle), or a higher speed (driving). The "power enrichment" system is designed to allow a smooth transition between the two.
On a Ford 94 series carburetor (which you should have on a '52 Ford V8), it consists of two components, the accelerator pump and the vacuum operated power valve. The accelerator pump responds to the depression on the throttle by introducing a healthy stream of gasoline into the throttle bores when a major transition is required. The power valve works more subtly by allowing the introduction of a lesser amount if fuel into the engine determined by a drop in internal vacuum rather than a physical throttle stroke.
If you have stayed with me this far, you should already have a good idea of what parts in your carburetor you should be looking at. I'll give you another hint, the problem usually does not usually lay with the accelerator pump, as it is a simple, mechanical device that usually functions fine unless it is damaged. The power valve, on the other hand, is a relatively delicate vacuum acuted unit that is prone to leakage, internal failure, and blowouts due to backfires. The accelerator pump is usually easier to detect, because all it takes is to actuate the throttle linkage and look down the carb to see if there is a healthy squirt of fuel. The power valve is more difficult to detect, and sometimes requires you to suck on it.
