Just a suggestion....after you've checked for the obvious fuel leaks at the tank,sender, filler neck, fuel pump....look under the rear intake manifold port and see if there is a stain down the side of the block. Behind the accelerator linkage bellcrank. I had a similar problem with my Rochester dumping a little fuel after shutdown and it trickled to the rear of the intake....seeped past the intake gasket and down the side of the block. This was compounded because the PO hadn't installed the 3 little rings that align the intake with the block. There was no obvious vac leak but raw fuel was seeping past the saturated gasket. The smell naturally went away when you cranked the engine and drove it. Something to check! If you've got the stain it might take some tweaking of your float level to correct the problem.
You mentioned your hood stuck up..loosen all your hood bolts slightly...putting a 4" block under the front of the hood...right on top of the latch. With 2 "helpers" pushing down and back on the very rear of the hood, tighten down the inside bolts on each side. Raise the hood and snug the 2 bolts. Close it gently and check for interference. If your hinges aren't worn out, this should help close the 3/4 gap. Hope this helps.
