I liked collecting unemployment. My house was clean and I got good at video games.
Those glass filters are junk, they unscrew themselves regularly.

I think I found the real problem this afternoon. The car was still running like shit with the left side carb back popping and I couldn't get it to idle properly.

I was thinking it must be a air leak but everything was tight. I took some carb cleaner and sprayed it at the manifold to cylinder head gasket right between the two barrels, where the single stud is. The engine raced up the RPM. I found it! So I tighten down the nut on the stud. Spray it again and get the same result. Engine races. WTF?

I look at the studs and notice the center stud has twice has much sticking out from the nut than the other two. The others have about 5 threads showing and the center one has 10-12 threads showing. I pull the carb and manifold off the head and the center stud is not the same as the others. It has a non threaded shoulder that is keeping it from threading into the head. The manifold has a thin base on it. When the manifold is installed over this stud, the nut contacts the shoulder before it is able to tighten the manifold base to the head. The nut is tight but not the manifold.

I double nutted the stud and backed it out. It came out with ease. I replaced it with a bolt and tightened down. The manifold is tight to the head now. I fired it up and drove it around the block. It drove like a new car...