Questions about Quadrajet with integral choke spring

[dmjlambert]

I have a Quadrajet M4ME carburetor from 1986 part number 17085226 on my 1969 CST/10 with 350 engine.

I was reading this article from Hemmings Muscle Machines June 2007 where it talks about adjustment of the choke. They say 2 notches rich is a good starting point.

online article https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mu...t/1466641.html

I see the index marks on the housing, but I don't see any sort of mark on the plastic cover that would line up with the index marks.

So, the question is 2 notches from where? Do I need to find some sort of starting point based on movement of the choke plate, and mark it myself on the plastic cover? What was the "proper" way to do this?

My Quadrajet before installation:


My Quadrajet a year later:


You can see after being on the truck a while, some surface rust is appearing on some parts such as linkages, fuel inlet, and choke screw plates. Is there something good to put on those few steel parts of the Quadrajet to get it looking good again and to keep it looking good?

I normally have the electric choke connected to 12V key-on power, just have it disconnected for the photo.