rebuilt the carb
 

and it was running rough. sputtering, did a backfire through the carb...

then i got the floats set, idle mixture screws correct and i noticed something else was happening... every once in a while a little spit of gas was coming up through the vent tube. so, i adjusted down the float, just a touch, and ran out of gas. yeah, i know, of all times to run out of gas.

but that's ok, because i also ran out of energy.

i also took apart the choke mechanism, and was not happy with the state of the plunger, but the kit i bought didn't have a replacement. so, i will continue to work on it tomorrow. i really wish i had enough gas in it to see if i solved the problem of the little fountain in the vent tube...

btw, the kit i bought was the $20 one, and man did it bring a lot of stuff with it. just about every gasket in the carb, new needles, even new c-clips and a cotter pin or two. it also brought all of the o-rings and washers. amazing little kit.