Ask yourself what changed.... You said you eliminated wires?? Could that be it? I doubt it - you said Tl and Hl wires which shouldn't be an issue. Why would you chop those out anyhow??
If the carb is leaking, look to the carb - it's the only thing that changed
Metal tanks have rust (do you run an inline filter??) Carbs get pissed off easy, every jet, every piece has to come off be inspected and cleaned with carb cleaner. The gas with ethanol is supposed to be terrible..........
If you just let it sit for 2 weeks , whats with the timing being off thoughts??
All our government does is distract us while they steal from us, misspend our tax $ and ruin our country