a smart man will ask those who know...

[Luvlegs]

Merry Christmas all!

I have a couple questions (and 3 pics (one for each question)):

Info: I noticed this wetness at the base of the carb the other day. It seems to be coming from the next 2 gaskets up?... like in the middle of the carb body.. looks like it's been this way for a while but I never noticed it...

1) Are the two gaskets easily made from a sheet or do they have to be bought (complicated to cut out). Or is it just as easy to buy the kit and do them all? It's a monojet... ) I can't believe I'm even asking this...

Info: I notice a spark that seems to be jumping from the very end of the rubber boot, at the #5 spark plug, sideways to the block. The wire is "snapped" down on the tip of the plug, the plug is nice and clean, gapped and "snugged" tight in the block and the boot is down as far as it goes. It's like popping out from under the rubber of the boot and going sideways. The wires are about 3 years old and don't have 500 miles on them.

2) Would a bad plug not let the spark "go into the cylinder"? Other ideas?

Info: My timing light is toast (been stored a long time and the leads crumbled) (yeah, it's about 30 years old)... anywhoooo,
As I rotate the distributor counter clockwise, the rpms pick way up and I back off just as it's getting bad. If I leave it here, I'd have to adjust the idle way down. The exhaust has a random "putt" sometimes with a smoke ring like a pulling tractor (including a lot of exhaust "soot").
If I rotate it clockwise, the rpms drop way down and I again back off when it gets bad. It idles quietly and smoothly like this but gags a bit when I hit the accelerator. This way the exhaust does the random "putt" as well but with out hardly any soot.
I will get my hands on a timing light at some point but curious as to which way I should be going? Low idle or high idle (and then adjust it down)?

Bonus Question - can anyone give me 20 seconds of info on this dizzy - from early 70s nova - It doesn't have a coil or anything I can see "in it" or external to it. I gapped at .045 but is that too much if this is only an "electrical" ignition now as opposed to an "electronic" ignition system?

These all seem like rookie questions to me but I'm old enough now to feel I can say I suffer from CRS. Thanks all for your attentions.