<VV> Carb throttle shaft bushing

[Rburger]

Gentlemen;

When I took my carburetor apart to install the shaft seal kit I got from CU, I made an interesting discovery. The throttle shaft had a brass bushing installed along its entire length. I'd estimate the bushing is about .010 thick. Naturally, the carb body had been reamed oversize to accommodate the bushing, which made installation of the seal kit a little more complicated than I had anticipated. The difficulty was not insurmountable, though it may have compromised the effectiveness of the kit to some extent. My question is: have any of you seen such a bushing or repair kit that incorporated such? If you have, do you know where to get a replacement? If you haven't, can you advise about a source, perhaps not necessarily connected with the automotive aftermarket? E.G., is there a supply somewhere of various lengths of brass tubular bushing material in various combinations of ID and OD?  

One other question: I replaced the cup on the accelerator pump on the same carb, but it did little to improve the operation of the pump. Does the pump bore wear, rendering the pump more or less permanently inop? I quadruple checked the appropriate passages in the carb and the float drop and float level are to spec. Suggestions?

You guys truly are the best; an island of sanity and sensibility in an automotive hobby that increasingly often seems awash in incomprehensible nonsense.  

Thanks,

Richard Burger