It could just be idling really low, that could be why it was a no start and why it shakes now, idle should be 650-750 RPM. There is a lever behind that the plate your throttle linkage bolts to. There is an acorn headed bolt that contacts a tab on that lever, this is low idle adjustment. It is very common for that bolt to wear bed enough to let the idle drop so low the engine will not start until the pedal is depressed and will not stay idling. It is also a big possibility that soldier B used the joints on the truck throttle linkage to adjust idle speed and the pump idle speed was never set....possibly the cause for the failed ball joint on your linkage, never being truly at rest, always having the pressure of the pump throttle linkage pushing on it?
Check pressures at the circled port, that is supply to the pump from the low pressure pump. Follow that line back to the filter head. Look for the line coming from the lift pump to the filter head. Check pressuer there. The difference between the two is your pressure drop across the filter....IIRC, 4 psi is max, I might have to look it up. The pressure at the port on the pump is the fuel pump galley pressure. An OK pressure is 15 at idle and when the engine is at WOT, 25 is OK. A good overflow valve will show 20+ at idle and greater than 30 at WOT. If the pressure isn't there, 1 of two things, an overflow valve or a lift pump. The pump banjo fitting is 14mm and the filter head fitting is 12mm.
Edit...the white circled area is the low idle adjustment