I am brand new to this stuff, so bear with me...

Some lady just gave me a 1965 Ford f-250 that currently has a fe 352 in it. (almost 200,000 miles on it).
The motor was smoking enough to kill every mosquito from here to north carolina, so i decided to break it down and do a minor rebuild on it. Rings, new gaskets, a good cleaning, etc. But when i took it apart The inside looked like the LeBrae Tar Pits!!! I was worried I might find a woolly mammoth skeleton down there! Is this normal for an old motor that probably has never been touched since manufacture?

I am trying to be economical, so i turned down redoing my cylinder heads for $800(!!!!!!!). Was this a bad idea?

Or is there any way that i can just get some valve grinding compound and new springs to give it a little more life?

Also, i got a carb gasket kit, but it just still doesnt seem to be right. Where can i find a new carb that fits the same as the old one?

Sorry for so many dumb-dumb questions. Any help would be MUCH appreciated.