Cold Start Issues

The Link-rod has to be bent just right to set it.
If the engine springs to life with starter-fluid AND REMAINS running, then there is obviously fuel in the bowls.
To set the choke, the blade must first close completely, and pull up the fast idle cam. Then as soon as manifold vacuum comes up,the choke pull-off can has to pull the choke off to a preset amount, which varies from one engine to the next. It could be between 2/32 and 4/32 . Then you tap the gas pedal and the cam drops to it's second highest step.There you set the idle fast speed with the screw provided, to whatever your engine likes... which varies hugely with timing.
How long the choke stays on is governed by the preload on the bimetalic spring, and by the level of heat going into the preheat chamber under the carb. The former you have to set in accordance of the ambient temp, and the latter is controlled by the heat-riser preload spring, and the amount of heat in the exhaust and the amount of carbon in the carb heating chamber.
All these things have to be kindof delicately balanced one against the other. Once you get it right, it's awesome. Getting it right can be a real struggle. For factory engines, the factory settings are the best place to start. And for those specs you need a FSM.
Tips;
>if the blade does not stay fully closed during cranking, the system will not work. With a fully closed blade, fuel will be pulled from every orifice possible by the high cranking vacuum...... but only if the throttle valves are correctly set by the fast-idle cam. The vacuum has to pass around the valves to do it's job under the choke blade. if you have set your initial timing too high, then your throttle valves will be too far closed. With a misadjusted linkrod then and not enough fast idle speed, there will be insufficient vacuum under the blade to pull enough fuel for starting, so you will have to pump the crap out of it, in accordance with the ambient temp, before starting, and continue baby-sitting afterwards.
>If the fuel level is low, you will have trouble synchronizing the various adjustments.
>If the bi-metal choke spring is tired it will stay on too long, and flood the engine.
>If the choke pull-off diaphragm is ruptured it will not be able to do it's job and flooding will occur.
>If the manifold heat-riser is not working correctly, or if you have headers,or if you have a non-factory intake on it without a heat cross-over, then the carb will not warm up properly, or quickly enough, and all kinds of problems will show up.
>If you do have a factory iron intake on it with a cross-over...... that cross-over has to be open and clean to work properly.
>Without the carb heat from the cross-over, icing can occur at ambient temps within a few degrees of freezing, and when the humidity is just right. This can drive you crazy cuz by the time you get the hood open, the air box off, and are staring down the venturies, the doggone ice has melted, and you never see it! Icing does not occur at or before start-up. It can occur shortly after start-up with throttle valves that are very close to closed, which can occur if your idle-timing is too high. Ya know everybody seems to want to run 20 to 25 degrees idle-timing, but here is one example where that would be too much. if the idle-timing is too high, the throttle opening will be too small to achieve your warm-up rpm. Then the engine will be slow to build heat and the choke will stay on too long. Another thing that can happen is with the nearly closed throttle, the Vcan will not be activated, so she will give you no help. The more timing you throw at the cold engine, the faster it will idle on a given throttle opening. This can be good or bad. A balance has to be found. If your spark port is active at the rpm you have chosen, then you can use the Vcan to pull in some timing. If it is not, then you gotta do it with initial plus mechanical. No big deal. Remember, this paragraph pertains to icing during the first minutes after start-up.
>And finally, modern alcoholized fuels do not age well in vented gastanks. One week is enough to evaporate the parts of the fuel that are in there to help starting. Just one week.But worse is that the alcohol attracts water from the atmosphere.The water is heavier than the gas,does not stick to gasoline molecules,settles to the bottom, and the volatiles evaporate.So there you sit with the good gas gone and water in the wells. You can install an electric pump and do what? pump the water to the front, to add to what is sitting in the wells? meh, not my best thought. No prevention is the best policy; if you only drive the car on weekends, then don't burn alcoholized fuels. But if you have to, you can buy products to put in your fuel to bind the water to the alcohol, and then it will pass harmlessly thru your system. AFAI recall, this product does not work to bind the water to gasoline. When used as directed it will not harm your system.
FWI
>Icing can occur any time the ambient temp is within a couple of degrees of freezing,higher or lower,the humidity is just right, the carb is cold, and the throttle opening is very small. So this includes cruising at some hiway speeds.

Good luck