On my xjc today, i had to be towed home the rear carb was leaking gas out the front.
When i took off the whole intake assembly, it looks like it was coming out the two holes on the top to the right and left. whats also odd when i lift the piston what i see is what i could call mist wall of gas going onto the engine.
i havnt had the chance yet to really get to know this whole car and as i have said before im "carb dumb"
s\

 

Sounds like the fuel chamber valve is leaking or the float is not floating ! These floats can leak after many years use, so don't close the valve properly. Are they SUs or Strombergs ? I can still remember many years ago stripping a carb down and shaking the float to see if it had any fuel inside it. It had !!

 

Strombergs.
I wasfeeling around it looks like the choke mechanism was loose, tightened it up so far its not leaking like it was.