If anyone is interested, here is a pic of the final setup with the new linkage. I cleaned the carb a little, installed a fuel pressure gauge to be sure there was not too much pressure keeping the needle from seating and added a clear plastic filter to watch for any contamination, both of those drew a negative, but that's just two more things that it's not.
The truck is running good again...
Nexxussian, you mentioned that the shaft gets hollowed out faster if the spring is on the same side as the cable, does everyone else agree with that? I had never heard that before but the logic makes sense.
