G'day and welcome to the Forum.
How would the engine run without a float bowl? OR did you mean that it fired up a couple of times?
Things to try and check;
How is the compression
Clean and gap your spark plug and points and test for spark before putting the plug back in the head.
Find a carby that is complete and use fresh fuel to try a start up.
If you know where your timing marks are check them.
Let us know how you get on.