Since I never throw anything away I still had a rebuild kit for a Quadrajet carb even though I had no use for it up to this point- I'm into Holleys. I'd been holding onto this kit for 20 years after finding it in the trunk of a '79 Firebird that my father purchased for interior parts.
I removed the top of the Rochester and set about checking the float, power piston, etc. and proceeded to remove the accelerator pump plunger and replace it with the one from the kit. That required swapping a spring over from the old unit which was an easy and straightforward task. I decided not to rebuild the entire carb at the time as the plan was to be as noninvasive as possible, and to get on the road ASAP.
I was having loads of trouble with this little guy fighting me during reassembly, and turned to an old friend for help: painter's tape. I utilized the tape to hold this sucker down in place while I secured the top, and managed to get all surfaces flush and remove the tape at the same time, although the tape tore in half upon removal. I verified that no tape remained inside the carb by putting the torn ends back together and saw no voids at the seam.
The car once again ran but now it was incredibly rich, as indicated by the black smoke, horrible idle, and my water bottle visibly draining before my very eyes. For safety's sake I had it in a position that I could see VERY clearly as I operated the accelerator pedal from either inside the cabin or engine bay.
I then reached out to this forum for immediate help as the book I purchased is a great resource for modifications/information but not quite so great for troubleshooting. Help came from 78Delta88 by quickly pointing out a potential issue with my metering rods and providing useful information and tips for reassembly. Thank you, Delta.
I separated the carb halves for about the 12th time and carefully followed my new instructions, and with great success. I also elected to change the fuel pump, which of course has a story of its own.