Dialing in a Carter AVS

I just assumed it was running lean due to the eyes burning because I thought rich it would be smoking a bit out the tail pipe? It is running the stock cast iron 4 barrel intake, stock exhaust manifolds and comp cams part number 21-224-4 (grind number XE274H-10). So since this would be a little hotter than the HP engine I figured it would need the .101 jets with the .065x.062x.053, but instead it has the .089 jets (the one the 4966s carb was to have) with rods that measure .0675x.064x.058. Those parts make it appear it is running lean, correct?

I did think of modifying it to use the AFB jets and rods, but some people argue that you miss out on the smoothness of the 3 step rod. Furthermore, if this set up should have the AVS with 1-11/16 why waste more time and money trying to get this 1-7/16 bore carb to work with this engine? I am currently contemplating dropping a new 750 cfm holley on it (or maybe find a 1-11/16 bore AVS), but that wont be for a couple months. So I am just trying to get this to run with what I have currently.

What is cost prohibitive for me? well the one online carb place I saw sells the kits I mentioned above for $500. At that point thats more than a new carb. Id much rather go with a new holley over that.

What was wrong with the "junk" carb? well it was missing parts for one, second after soaking in simple green and multiple runs through my ultrasonic cleaner I still couldnt get it as clean as Id like it to be, plus the drivers side jets were glued in there. Well I dont know if there was actually adhesive holding them in there, but they did not want to come out. I tried drilling them out and I guess the bit went off center and started to cut into the aluminum body. The junk carb was 4738S, so the proper 70 440 carb with the 1-11/16 bores... So I am not to happy about junking this carb.

The car ran OKAY. Cold starting was a pain, but it ran fine. Well besides the burning eyes like you mentioned.

transfer slot sync... (keep in mind the following information is with the 4966s carb) I have been playing around with the timing as well. It idles best around 18 deg BTDC, right now it is at 14 deg BTDC. I had it as low as 10 deg BTDC, but it did not like that at all. The take off at idle is a lot smoother at 18, 14 is okay, at 10 it is jerky. The temperature would start to creep up at idle when the initial was set to 10, it doesnt go up as much when the idle was set at 14, but would idle all day long at 18 with no issue. I get my best vacuum readings at idle when the timing is set at 18 deg (hovering around 14 inHg), were at 10 deg I was getting 11-12 inHg. A lot more of the transfer slot has to be exposed for it to want to idle around 800 rpm at 10 BTDC than at 14 and 18 deg BTDC. Regardless of timing, the idle speed screw is almost maxed out (as in screwed in far enough to almost make the spring go solid) to keep the idle speed around 800. So my thought process was if that much of the transfer slot needed to be exposed, it wants more fuel.