new problem, filt o reg Options

[doobie123]

hi ya'll
working on my 1975, 914. 1.8, 5spd. dual weber 44 idf carbs.
so i had the car running and idling just fine yesterday. shut it down and then this morning, it would not start. the fuel pump (new) sounded like it was working hard so i thought i may have run the tank dry. put 5 gals in and the pump was quieter but still no start. i took the fuel line off at the t before the carbs and it was not getting fuel.

now i should say that yesterday when i first turned it on and the pump kicked on, the passenger side carb overflowed with fuel like the float was stuck. i had taken both carbs apart and cleaned and inspected them prior to starting and they were pretty dirty but to my untrained eye, seemed fine. it was then that i realized i had not replaced a thing in the fuel line before the t called a filt o reg s300. when i put this back in the line, the carb did not overflow and the car started. now it won't.
so i have this filt o reg between the incoming fuel line and the t that feeds both carbs. in addition, i put a clear plastic filter in the same line because even though i had the tank boiled out and flushed the lines, i was concerned what crud may still be in there.

also, when i take the fuel line off and turn the pump on, no fuel comes out of the line. when i remove the filt o reg, it pumps fine.
so what could be causing this? i did a search on this filt o reg and it looks like a vintage item i also opened it up and it seems to be ok. free of any crud and the diaphragm is in tact. so what is the deal? is there a new part that replaces this? is it even needed? i'm gonna pop the passenger side carb off and see if the float is stuck and maybe eliminate the filt o reg but i'd love some feed back and suggestions.
sorry for the long story but, i wanted to try and include as much info as i can. i should also say that in addition to the pump. i also replaced all the lines and square filter with a lower fuel line kit from auto atlanta
thanks