The engine on my parts wagon will now fire when I pour gasoline in the carbs (Shannon DeWolfe, please take a bow), but there appears to be a blockage in the float bowls from its prolonged time out of service. The fuel pump is working fine and the carbs appear to be rebuilt somewhat recently.

here is an excerpt from what I read, (taken from): http://www.jcna.com/library/tech/tech0006.html

The use of Grose-Jet float valves has done more to improve the reliability of SU carbs than any other single improvement that I am aware of. The double ball design meters well and shuts off tight. The balls rotate in the flow stream so wear patterns are minimized. The balls are retained so they don't fall out on disassembly of the float lid. The only problem I have ever encountered is that the seating ball will stick shut if left sitting with stale fuel in it for 6 months to a year. But that's not the only place stale fuel causes problems. Petroleum refiners never intended for gasoline to stay in inventory over 90 days. Gasoline in your tank for long periods is not a particular problem. It's when it sits in cracks and crevices in fuel pumps and carburetors for 6 months or more that it causes problems. Gum will coat the jet needle and varnish will set up around the jet and fuel pump valves almost like an epoxy. Disassembly and cleaning with a commercial carb cleaner is about the only cure other than avoiding the stale fuel problem by driving your car every few weeks.

Will any carb cleaner from an auto parts store do, or should I use something else to clean the floats and the rest of the carbs? Also is it crucial that I replace the gaskets when re-attaching the carbs to the manifold?

Thanks

Tyler