stock 1973 318 V8 starts but won't idle without foot on pedal

No I did not try that yet. That is next. I have a factory service manual. Two things I have always been scared to tinker with is a carburetor and an automatic transmission. I watched enough youtube videos to gain enough confidence to open up the trans and replace the leaking seals. I guess between you guys and youtube I will start working on the carburetor. A trip to a professional did not help. They don't want to put the time into it to get it right.
None of them do anymore. It's not a labor of love to them. They just wanna hook a plastic **** box to a computer and charge their victims out the ***...