Double check that the choke is closing all the way. If there is fuel in the carb during cranking and the choke is closed seeing a bit of fuel in the throat is normal if the carb is functioning properly.
Did you poke out the two idle ports in the throat of the carb? And are you sure the carb bowl gasket is sealing around the emulsion well in the center of the bowl? If it leaks a bit of air it will be very hard to start and run poorly if it does.
Also are you sure that the wires are in the correct order (double-check)? How did you check the timing?
Dave Neptune