Carb and Divorced Choke issue

cudamark is on target about the choke pull-off. The choke drove me crazy on my '69 225 Dart when I was a dumb kid (now a dumb geezer). I used to have to adjust the choke twice a year from summer to winter to get a little less crappy idle. I finally found the pull-off was bad. One shot of carb cleaner ruins the rubber diaphragm. Test it with a hand vacuum pump. Harbor Freight sells them cheap and great for many things - bleed brakes, test climate control diaphrams, etc. Adjust per manual so the choke is fairly tight when the engine is off. As soon as it fires, the choke pull-off slightly pops the choke open so it doesn't run too rich. You don't need it as precise as the manual, but it must be working.

Even after that, the 225 always idled rough. I tried everything (several carbs, intake manifold, even new engine). Finally, I lucked upon a Holley 1920 carb that actually worked. The engine was amazingly smooth, just like a modern car. I loved driving the car then, but it was soon stolen.