223 running lean and missing

My 223 will not run unless the choke is partially closed, and it will not idle at all. It also has a miss. Compression readings are 135-150, and it will start right up. The carburetor was replaced with a rebuilt one. I've adjusted that to no avail. Checking for vacuum leaks by using carb spray around all the usual suspect locations does not indicate any leaks.
There is some ticking from the valve train, but not real loud. The manifold gasket has been replaced because at one time it was found that the bolts were loose and falling out. The car ran this way before the carb was replaced. Until the other day the engine had not been started for a couple of years. For this reason I opened up the carb, and found some crap built up in the bowl. I cleaned that out and also discovered than the main jet was about to fall out of where it goes, so I tightened that up. I am sure that loose jet would have some effect on the running, and tomorrow I will put it back together and see if there is a difference. I am also going to replace the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, etc simply because I have no idea how old that stuff is.
I am impressed with the simplicity of this engine and hope that whatever the trouble is, it can be easily corrected. I also found a set of Barker hi-lift rockers in the glove box, still in the original box with instructions, and I am thinking about putting them on after I resolve whatever issues it has right now. I hear they really perk things up.
Any ideas on the above are greatly appreciated.

I have just been dealing with what I believe to be a lean miss.
The head has been ported and I have a higher lift cam.
Today I swapped a larger jet into the 1bbl carb, and things noticeably smoothed out.
I'd suggest that since your carb was so dirty that the jets and passages themselves will have a coating of stuff inside that might be thick enough to restrict the gas flow enough to cause a lean condition.
If you take the jet out and look at it with a magnifying glass you might see some gunk in there.

Do you have Electric or Vacuum Wipers? Could possibly be a vacuum leak at the wiper control or motor. Just trying to throw out more possibilities to check. The Carb is easy to clean and if setting for awhile, may be gummed up, and need cleaning. I also have a set of 12 Barker Hi-Lifts that I will someday get around to installing. I see that you are fairly new to this old technology. You will learn to really appreciate the simplicity of things they way they used to be. The valve clicking is somewhat normal, as these do not have Hydraulic lifters and need to be set with a gap to allow the valves to fully close.

Fred

Thanks for the replies. It seems that most of the problem was caused by the loose jet. I cleaned up the carb, tightened up that jet, and now it will run with the choke open and also idle. It still seems to have miss in it and I am going to step over to the other side of the engine and work on the ignition. No idea when or if anything was ever done in that regard. The cap and rotor have the Ford script on them, and the wires are from Standard, and stiff as a board. May have had it's last tune up during the Nixon years for all I know.
Once I get this engine running right I can continue on to the brakes, which I will just redo everything.
The car has electric wipers. The only vacuum line on the engine is for the vacuum advance and that is a steel line all the way. I checked it for leaks just in case because I had transmission problems on my Cadillac that turned out to be a cracked steel line for the vacuum modulator. I discovered that AFTER I rebuilt the transmission and was reinstalling it.
I just got out of a '88 Lincoln that had some much electronic crap on it that I just quit trying to figure it out and let it run the way it did. All the empty space under the hood of this old Ford is very refreshing after the Lincoln. In modern techno-terms, the 64 Ford requires a much stronger operator interface than a new car, but I enjoy being in control rather than be controlled.

My engine is running perfectly now. I actually drove the car about five miles. First time in years it's been on the road. I ran if off a 2 gallon gas can for the test drive. Dropped the tank tonight and found a hole in the top, 2 gallons of orange fluid that used to be gas, and lots of rust floating around. That tank is going in the trash and I will install my new one as soon as I get a sending unit for it.
Thanks again for the suggestions. I am REALLY impressed with this engine and how well it responded to my efforts.

Since my last post about this engine, I have driven it 13000 miles and that included a trip from Cleveland Ohio to Memphis TN. I absolutely love the way this engine runs, and am very impressed with the 22.5 mpg it gets. I have had no unexpected issues with it, though it does use quite a bit of oil. It smokes on start up, but clears out when it's going down the road. I never thought it was going to run as well as it does and I am sooooooo glad I did not rip it out and put a 390 in it's place.

Congrats! glad hear from a satisfied 223 owner. You might be able to clear up some of the oil smoke by changeing the valve stem seals it's possible to change them on the engine. Good luck

very impressed with the 22.5 mpg it gets

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That's impressive. Do you know what your rear end gears are? I'd like to come close to those #'s using 1.0 final with 3.5 rear gears.