72 360 first start question

So when I did the test on #1 I did not use a dial caliper. I eyeballed/ felt it with my fingers while I moved it back and forth. I didn't realize that it needed to be down to the 64th". Sorry if i haven't been clear on any responses. I don't have a dial indicator either but I'll pick one up. My vacuum test was to spray carb cleaner everywhere with a potential for a leak and look to see if it got sucked in as well as pull all the vacuum plugs one at a time on the carb and plug them with a finger and then let go and see if it worsens. Ghetto I know but that's how we always did it. Anyway I switched the carb out with the 500cfm eddy from my 68 340 dart and the running drastically improved! I still can't get it to idle under 25 degrees advanced but it will run like that all day now. This makes me think that it is a vacuum issue. If it was cam timing changing the carb wouldn't have done anything right? So it'll run at 25-35 degrees advanced with the rpm's kept pretty high but steady (haven't hooked up a tach yet). If i lower the throttle screw or retard the timing past that it'll die. Any thoughts. I do have a vacuum gauge that i guess i need to learn how to use.
thanks