SuperDuke, ya gonna let us in on your secret for spliting the carb halves apart if you don't wedge any thing between them?
Here's what I do if I have a really tough one that simply refuses to seperate. I've used blocks of wood that I cut to the proper heigth and brace one end on a base plate that I bolt the throttle body down to and then use a pry bar of sorts between the upper end and a pry point on the air horn. I try to use a piece of aluminum between the pry bar and the zinc when ever possable.
Denny G