[cadillac_al]

It's not a bad idea to freshen up that carb but an old mechanic told me a long time ago that " a lot of carburators get rebuilt because of poor ignition" (mostly points). It doesn't appear to be that dirty in there so it might not have been your problem. Your hands look a little too dirty for carb work in my opinion. I hope your kit came with a new float needle and seat. If not, now is the time to replace them. Make sure the primary needles are/were moving freely. If you take your time and put it all back together like you took it apart everything should be fine.

Oh yeah, if you really want to do a good job you should epoxy the well plugs at the bottom of the fuel bowls from the bottom side. If you search around the net for Quadrajet rebuilds you should find more info and pictures of epoxy dabbed on them. Those plugs frequently leak and make the vehicle harder to start after it has sat overnight or a couple days depending on the leakage rate.