Gazz;
Make sure you take all of the spark plugs out of the engine before you start to turn it by hand. You'll kill yourself tryiing to turn it over if you are generating full compression because the spark plugs are in. With all the plugs out, it should turn over relatively easily using the fan.
I also second the motion to clean and rebuild the carb. My Suburban ran rough even after I cleaned and rebuilt it. It was my first time rebuilding a carb, so I evidently didn't do it very well. A fellow bolter friend of mine took it to work and soaked it in the solvent tank for a few days. He then blew out all the holes and passages and put it back together. When he brought it over to the house I didn't even recognize it. It looked brand new. Now my Burb runs like a scalded cat. I can't overemphasise the importance of a clean and blown out (passages cleaned with compressed air) carb.
I can't really speak to your other issues. I'm learning just like you.
