Finally some good news:
With the chinese tank full of gas on and the gas line successfully split into a T to feed both carbs, the bike starts and idles again. This is the first time i've heard it run in about a month and it complained a lot at first, then settled down into a 1200-or-so-rpm idle after a few sessions of starting it, revving it, and warming it up to get fuel through the carbs. It will only Idle on choke, however, which is probably due to the fact that I took the airbox off and haven't really messed with the adjustments on the carbs yet. However, finding out it still starts and idles and throttles and all that is a big win.
that said, my gas line running from the petcock to the filter to the T is way way too long.
I intend to futz with all that shortly, but I still need to get an in-line petcock installed because the one that fits on the gas tank hangs too low and rests right on the heads if i don't elevate the gas tank. I've found a few of these in-line jobbies online but if anybody can recommend a specific one that they know is good quality, again i'll be grateful. I think I have a good spot to bolt the petcock, but I still need to find some sort of barbed connector to stick on the gas tank outlet. I'm not sure specifically where to buy that sort of thing.
The gas tank is still sitting loose and elevated on the bike to get around the petcock and ignition coil issues, but i've decided to start figuring out what to do with the ignition coils. I took them off and was able to confirm that the gas tank does not sit at the correct height unless they're completely moved out of the way.
At first i thought i could simply invert them or pull them back to a spot under the seat, but then i discovered they're connected to eachother by way of orange and brown wires. I haven't got a clue what the purpose of that is, but i can only assume it's not something I want to disconnect for any reason. I do not have soldering equipment, nor do i want to buy any. These orange and brown wires are connected to a third component seated just under the middle of the frame that I can't identify because i can't find a picture of it on any specific parts diagram.
It seems to me that if i move the ignition coils i have to move this doodad too, and in order to get it all out from under the frame i have to disconnect these wires as well. This probably kills the idea of moving the ignition coils back and away under the seat. Any alternative suggestions are most appreciated. Some folks recommended changing to a new aftermarket ignition coil that might allow me to move it to a different location, but i don't know enough about what that entails. If anybody knows of a detailed step by step guide to changing one of these out it might be something i can approach.