Bill,
The 'dry plugs' deal sure makes the carburetor look like the guilty party. I don't know if you can further analyze this by squirting starting fluid down the carb.
You know there is a problem, at this point do you need to pinpoint it 100%. A rebuild kit for the carburetor is probably pretty inexpensive, and you indicated you wanted to rebuild it anyway.
This could fix the problem. If this doesn't fix the problem, you are still ahead of the game with your "new carburetor". The points, condenser, cap and rotor route doesn't break the bank either. Now you have both angles to the problem covered...it should start like a champ!
If it still doesn't start easily, it's time to restart the troubleshooting process.
This is a optimists view of how it should work!
Stuart
