Pine-Sol is an interesting choice! And leaves it smelling like a high school locker room, too, I'll bet. If you are concerned enough about the loss of coating to want to paint the outside (outside only), here's what I did on one YF which had been dropped and suffered a crack (which I had to silver solder to repair): First I masked and painted with Rustoleum Champagne Mist. Left masked and let that dry for a couple of days and then overcoated with VHT Clear Satin. The Champagne Mist color is ok on a carburetor. It doesn't have the iridescent appearance the original plating did, but no spray I've seen does. Some claim to, but in my opinion they just look like an odd mistake in combining gold and green paint that won't mix together well---sort of like Rainbow Brite got sick and threw up. There will be some complex instructions on the VHT can about how you have to treat that stuff at varying and specific temperatures. I didn't do that. I was mainly looking for something clear that wouldn't be affected by gasoline.
Ok, about the metering rod...I'd try to straighten it as best as I could. Lay it on your kitchen counter top where the round end and flattened part hang free over the side and roll it lightly with your fingertips to check. When you have it as close as you can get it, you'll feel it rolls straight. and that should be good enough...unless it is bent where it fits into the jet. That is a different conversation, but usually those get bent in the middle. You can also polish it and the jet with a bit of old t-shirt fabric and some MAAS, Flitz or Semi-Chrome polish. You also ought to remove and check your idle jet. Some call it the low speed jet. If you had a bunch of crud in parts of the carburetor, it could be in other passages too. I use either a piece of small copper wire or a piece of music wire and air or spray cleaner. The old needle/seat ought to be fine and will be better than anything that came in the cheap kit.
