Fairlady,
Hoping that the steps Glenn gave you work, but if you start thinking about a Quadrajet, you mentioned that you have "...a buddy willing to sell me a quadrajet that has a fresh rebuild and ready to go for $200." Unless you're 110% sure that your buddy knows all of the ins & outs of the Quadrajet you'd likely be a whole lot better off spending a bit more and getting one that's refreshed by someone who guarantees their work. There are simply too many places that an inexperienced guy can screw up a Quadrajet for you to take that chance, IMO.