Won't start -- Q-jet issues?

[Stocker]

Old faithful has finally failed me.... was my DD before I retired, and now it often sits for several days before I fire it up. A couple weeks ago it took forever to start -- cranked over OK and stumbled a few times (I thought I may have flooded it) but then it ran OK, and last week it started & ran OK.

Tried starting it a couple days ago (and again this morning) and it still cranks, but no vrooom vrooom type noises, nary a pop or stumble. Verified power to the HEI, and threw the timing light on #1 and get good flashes from it. Pulled the fuel line off the carb & cranked it.... got good flow coming from the fuel line.

What I don't seem to have is gas in the carb, but I'm not sure how to prove it. After several seconds of cranking, the float chamber should be full (right?) but when I look down through the primaries and operate the throttle, I don't see any fuel squirting inside the bores.

Thanks for any help, I'm kind of at a loss right now. I posted here for more views than the Engine & Drivetrain section... if the mods would be kind enough to leave it here, thanks.

Is there anything I can do besides pulling the carb off and taking it to someone who can go through it? I'm not at all comfortable with disassembling a q-jet.