I have both a CL350 and a CB350. The racing article you referred to is a good start for someone that already knows how to race, and is a good street rider. Having talked with some people about the vintage racing scene, the general consensus is that there are far more important things to do than build a hot rod engine. For example, swingarm bushings are a typical problem, a good exhaust, head bearings should be changed to a tapered bearing, a good set of shocks and on an on.
The carbs have always been an issue on my bikes as well. If they can be cleaned enough, they ought to work. You might think about 32mm Mikuni roundslides if you are interested in more performance. The points setup is fairly important to keeping this bike running well. You mentioned this bike would run well choke full on. Perhaps your low speed jetting is still clogged up. Do you have any airleaks? You might consider joining Michael Moore's vintage roadracing list as well. BTW, breaker point gap should be .012-.016 inches. Check to see that you have spark first, since it won't run at all now. Is everything connected? Are you kicking it over or electric starting it? Is the kill switch on? (I seem to remember my CL turning over with the kill switch on, but not totally sure).
float height on engine numbers prior to 1045165 is .75 inches.
For numbers 1045165-1065278 it is .83 inches.
For all numbers after, 1.02 inches.
Good luck, and keep us posted
BTW You might be able to sucker more people into helping you on this "dirtbike board" if you refer to it as a CL350 (high pipes, tires, maybe wheel size) dual sport rather than a streetbike.