Stop doing that! ;)

It's yours now, you'll have to do your own thinking (and doing) from now on.

Take the air cleaner housing etc off before starting it or anything else.
Carefully look over the situation.
Open the throttle by hand as if you'd pressed the pedal to the floor.
What happened?
What changed?
Pull the choke and see what's changed, what did change?

You can fix this sucker! :) You! :) No kidding. :)
Problem is tho... :/
You are the only one -on here- that -can- fix this sucker. ;)
We can't fix it -for you- from here.

All we can do is guess and suggest sh... uhhh... stuff. :/
You are the one that's -going to fix it- and when you do,
you are going to feel good about it too! :)

You can do it, no kidding.

"it's easy when you know how :)" -cowboy buddy that's accomplished much!

"next time" will be easy. See it? ;)

Get under there and tell-us- what's going on, the best you understand it. :)
We can't tell you every move to make or every thought to think -from here-.

"FTEers best help those that help themselves :)" -Alvin
...just made that up and reworded it a little bit too LOL ;)

Alvin in AZ

 

I have run AFBs for years...

make sure the choke closes all the way.

Now when it is cold out and you haven't started it that day yet, just push the throttle down a little maybe an 1/8th and pull the pull the choke all the way.

Now hit the key and just as soon as the engine catches push the choke in maybe 1/2 way. This part you'll have to play with, but the choke **** will now allow you to vary the idle RPMs to what the engine likes to run at. At the same time you can feather the throttle to keep it running.

Let it run between 1400-1600 and then push the choke in more until your around 1100-1200, put in in gear and head down the road. After a mile or two push it all the way in and you're set.

If the truck was started earlier and then has sat for several hours, I would pull the choke out until I felt resistance, maybe 1/4-1/3 of the way out, hit the key and it started.

A stock AFB carb should be jetted darn close for anything from factory manifolds to mild cam and headers.

Just be sure to set the idle around 700 hot and screw the high idle in to achieve about 1500 with the choke basically 1/2 way out cold idle.

It's hard to explain in written words, but try it. I started my truck that way for 16 years, started better at -20 than it ever did at +100

Josh

 

If you are running a small cam in your 390. I would run your timing @ 10 Degrees and not 12! That could be one of many problems you have right now......JMHO

 

The previous PO said he adjusted the timing by ear, so I'll have to check that when it warms up. Anyone recommend a good gun? I don't have one just yet.

Jason

 

Oh lordy.............

Go get yourself any timing light, it will be bunch better then by "ear". I have a couple Sear Craftsmen models, but heck anything is better then nothing.

Set the timing properly, let's get this thing TUNED!!!! You'll be amazed at how well it runs then.

 

I have a 1941 Enfield 303, sighted it in once and it's always on when it dragged out for bark fest. Ohhhh yeaah sorry LOL.... What Freight said

 

There's the real rub on manual chokes. :/
BeenThere and not DoneThat too many times, discovered my mistake
a ~half hour later and cringed my *** off. ;)

Chokes are hard on the engine, manual or automatic either way, IMO.
So the trick is to lean toward the "just enough to get it to go" side. :)
Like Bullitt described. :)
Then the extra wear is simply "fair" wear and tear?

As the weather changes typically the choke needs changing/messing
with to keep the wear down. Get familiar with its operation and it'll
be easy to work with. :)

Alvin in AZ
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/choke.jpg
I adjusted my choke with a hacksaw and a hoof rasp YMMV ;)

 

I've run several Hi-performance engine without a choke in as cold as the low teens and never had a starting problem. That is as long as you have a magic foot on the throttle to keep the accelerator pump squirting enough extra fuel to keep her going. This worked well with a single 4 barrel, 3X2 and dual 4 barrels set ups. So it can be done.

 

Yeah, it starts perfect when I pump it.

 

Cool! :)
Glad to hear it. :)
...and now you know it's mostly mixture problems messing you. :)

But that's just the beginning tho. :/

Now, if you don't follow through and make that choke work good,
I'm going to call you all sorts of bad words.

Like this one... *******.

Alvin in AZ

 

Neither of my dual quad engines have a choke.

I pump it about 3 times then hold the throttle down about 1/3rd of the way and it fires right up. Sometimes I'll have to repeat the process, but it'll eventually go.

Have started up those engines down to 0 degrees with no choke.

Josh

 

Whats your timing set at???