1965 Barracuda with 84 318

Nothing comes to mind about the slower start versus timing; could be a lot of things. But it is a moot point anyway as that is not the way carb'd engine work when cold.... and it is not clear from the posts if it IS cold starting that is slow....

FWIW: Not touching the accelerator prior to cold starting makes no sense whatsover.... this is not fuel injected. A carb'd engine will never start instantly when cold with no action on the operator's part; the carb needs at least 1 pump of the accelerator when cold just to engage the choke. Try pumping accelerator pedal to floor 2x and release after each pump, prior to cranking, and see what happens.

Hot starting should be very quick if all is right and the fuel is not boiling out of the carb..... which apparently is not uncommon with the Edelbrock carbs..