My 1972 has been having difficulty starting lately. She runs fine and the starter seems strong but it takes a few tries. The car will sound like its cranking but not catch, and priming it first doesnt seem to help. What could this be. Loose belt?, carburetor? bad starter? Has anyone else had these symptoms, and if so what did you do?

By "not catch" are you saying the stater motor is spinning but not the engine? If so the bendix drive on the starter is bad.

I would also say that the starter is bad if it is not cranking the motor every time .If the motor is cranking but it takes a while to start ,it could be your cap and rotor.If you have to replace your starter look into the new lightweight high torque unit, they are well worth the few extra bucks.