Hi Jim,
I think your problem is probably the lever on the carb being incorrect. Most of the time when these carbs get rebuilt, the wrong actuator lever gets installed . The correct choke rod is a straight rod, I have a few originals and I've run into this problem before. If the lever on the carb is flat, you will have alignment issues. The correct arm or lever on the carb should be stepped outwards for clearance. If this doesn't explain the problem adequately shoot me an email
[email protected] and I'll send you some pictures.
Chris