The stock fuel pump does put out too much pressure. I believe it puts out somewhere around 8 PSI. I believe Weber recommends something like 3.5 PSI. I have discovered that mine ran best just a tad over 3 PSI. That will vary from engine to engine and with altitude. I haven't fired up my rebuilt engine yet, but I imagine it will want a little bit higher PSI due to the increased bore and performance enhancements. I would definitely get a regulator. Without it you stand a chance of blowing the needle off the seat or flooding the carb. If this happens you would be dumping a rich mixture which can create power lost, lower fuel economy, sluggish acceleration, sooty spark plugs/exhaust and slow uneven running. The correct PSI allows the bowl to be filled at the optimum level for the carb to function continually and properly.

Thanks for the compliments, I hope it gets stickied as well.

There should only be one vacuum port on the Weber. It's a bit larger than your standard 5/16 vacuum hose diameter, but the hose will squeeze on there. If you have two then you have a Weber that I haven't used before (only dealt with 32/36 Webers)

The block off plate at the back of the head is call the EGR Crossover Blockoff Plate. The EGR Crossover was originally intended to redirect water to the EGR Valve. When desmogging, it is not necessary to use this block off plate since all it does is stop the flow of water to where the EGR Valve was attached. I did it because it minimizes unnecessary waterflow through the engine. It is a real pain to get to if you do not have the motor out.