The gas can be an issue, but no more for the OP than for the rest of us so that's not the problem. actually, all my rigs run fine on it. because I tune for it I don't fight it.

mine run as well. I think the rest of us have just ran carb'd and e-gas long enough to not think about it anymore. 30 seconds of cranking isn't that bad after sitting for more than a few days.
I don't crank mine over for that long, I pump, crank it, stop and crank again and usually fires up.

If my rigs sit for 2 weeks or more I'll have to crank them a bit. if they sit a week or less I give them 1 pump and they start instantly. but all I run are Holley's.

I don't think I've ever found pressure in a fuel line of a "non running" mechanical fuel pump & carbureted equipped engine. I get that a Holley starts quicker cold than a Edelbrock, but I think the Holley has a fatter accelerator pump shot too. With the Edelbrock, I use more choke ... than with a Holley, which often in warmer weather needed no choke.

There won't be any pressure, that tiny bit of gas will escape the needle valve.

This is where I cannot figure out how an AFB can be nearly empty after only hours. and it can do it even on a cold engine so evaporation seems unlikely. I can't explain it, but it's a problem I don't deal with anymore.

As you can see it is an issue with any motor running a carb and todays E-gas.
There are a few different issues we have with the E gas and all are not that easy to fix.

Ok the OP said "after sitting a few days" it cranks longer before starting.
If it starts good when used everyday then the choke is adjusted right and not the issue.
The issue is no fuel in the float bowl. And no there is no way the bowl can drain back to the tank.
Think about it where dose the fuel come into the bowl? Yep at the top thru the needle and seat and the last I knew gas dose not jump from the bowl up to the N&S and down the line past the pump to the tank.

So what happens to the gas in the bowl when sitting a few days?
Some carbs have power valve or Accel valve at the bottom that can leak fuel out of the bowl but a 300 six Carter carb dose not have either and I have this "long cranking before starting after sitting for a few days". The gas evaporates out of the bowl.
It is the heat in the engine bay and the Egas that dose this.
To test this before starting after sitting for days pull the air filter, open the choke and look down in the carb.
Move the throttle and see if you see it squirt fuel, if not you have a dry fuel bowl.
If you have squirting then you need to give more than 1 pump of the throttle before starting.
No squirt evaporation is the answer.

Only fix is to either crank to get the bowl to fill or add an electric pump to pre-fill the carb after sitting.
Some say the electric pump on a push button will push thru the motor driven pump and the motor pump should pull thru the electric pump.
Me I just crank the motor longer as my truck can sit weeks between running.
Dave ----

Link to similar discussion we had. Providing for reference and our evaporation experiments.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...eck-valve.html

The other issue with todays Egas is HOT restarts and our motors that run carbs.
Just like the heat evaporates gas it also makes it boil sitting in the carb bowl.

If you have this issue when it dose fire up dose it run a little like it was flooded?
I believe when the gas boils the gas vapors are forced out the vent and being heavier than air goes down into the intake manifold and floods the motor.
There is not an easy fix for this either.

The big thing is to keep the carb as cool as you can.
Thick non-metal spacers seam to work to keep it cooler and if no room for spacer thick gaskets help too.
On v8 motors most have heat cross overs from 1 head to the other.
If you dont drive when really cold out you can block this cross over.
On others they use a heating plate under the carb and run hot water thru it, just bypass the water thru the plate.

On the six they bolt the intake & EXH manifolds together but there is a valve that directs hot exh to the bottom of the intake.
Sometimes this valve rust so hot gases are always on the intake just make sure it works or is not pointed to the intake.
If you want a little more power you can run EFI EXH manifolds, they are like shorty headers and not bolted to the intake.
If you drive when cold like I do at times, 20*f in the winter, you can run hot water to the bottom of the intake by bolting a plate on the bottom.
This heating plate can lead to hot restarts in the summer in my case I just live with it.

So as you can see with todays Egas and motors with carbs we have two problems.
Long cranks after sitting for days and hot restarts.
Dave ----

ps I dont know if non Egas helps on either issue as I only run Egas.

I should save your link and test.
As you can see I did not say to add oil / diesel to gas now }>

OT when are you going to bring your truck out to a cars & coffee or a local show so we can check it out in person?
This Saturday 9/2 will will be up in Littleton for a show.
9/9 a show in Four Oaks on main maybe see you there?
Dave ----

I use non-ethanol gas in my 351. Hot restart in the summer is a problem. Gas type doesn’t fix the issue. Spacers don’t fix the issue. Both help but don’t resolve hot starts. Waiting for Fall. ;)

Long cold starts also unaffected by fuel type. I chock mine up to evaporation (see link in above post). 4-5 pumps. 2-3 cranks. Then easy start.

I’d love to hear about some possible remedies. But I’m not pouring oil in my tank. 😏

Well that answers the question on non-Egas helping with the long cranking after sitting for days and the hot restart not what we wanted to hear.
Thanks
Dave ----

A Holley has a couple turns in between the bowl and the long vent tubes, and Holleys do look to have larger float bowls with greater fluid capacity than Edelbrocks which vent through a shorter more direct path straight upwards. I see no way for a Edelbrock to leak fuel from the float bowl. A Holey has bowl gaskets and accelerator pumps that can leak, but those leaks can be seen. I don't for a minute believe that either carb loses gas through the inlet back down the fuel line, just not happening ... not even if vacuumed.

If I can remember to do it and can do it easily, I might just somehow cap the vents on my Edelbrock immediately after driving if planning to let it sit a few days, tie a big note on the steering wheel to remind me.

I do think the answer lies between less capacity and shorter more direct vent path in the Edelbrock and AVS carbs, what is in there can evaporate faster, or turn stale more likely. I'm not a chemist, but I know gas can lose its volatile qualities in time, and less quantity with a shorter vent path takes less time to lose those qualities. Park a hot engine under it, how long will 30 or 50 ccs take to go sour?

I want to add an electric fuel pump in the fuel line with a switch and big "RED" dash mounted status light, mostly just for priming the carb after long sits. I haven't spent much time thinking out the details.

• I considered putting it near the tank and let the mechanical pump pull through it. I did that long ago on a GTO, just got lucky and the mechanical pump never failed.
• I thought might work better to just run it on a parallel line with two manual valves to bypass the mechanical pump. I'm not feeding a hot rod ... but it could be used if the mechanical one fails.
• I could put it in line at the tank, and then add a simple bypass line around the mechanical pump that one would switch two valves over to bypass a bad mechanical pump if need be.

The red circles are odd shaped bowl vents, they are straight paths to the bowls above the floats. Best temporary test blockage might be weighted rag or some fuel resistant type bag or wrap? :-tap

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...5246ada068.jpg

Tbear I never gave it thought on the size of the float bowl and how it is vented but you could be on to something.
I dont have a Holley on anything running at this time to test but I can tall you the Carter v1 on my 81 300 six has a small bowl and it has 2 vents.
1 is right to the carb inlet straight shot.
The other is to the Evap system and has a nipple off the top of the bowl also a straight shot.

As for running bypass lines and valves etc I think is a lot of work for just a little more cranking after been sitting.
Heck you could spray a little starting fluid in the air intake and have it fire right up. If it stalls the gas should be in the bowl by this time and fire up and stay running.

You also have to remember with carbs they will never start up as fast or run as good as a EFI motor that we all drive now.
We drive our trucks as they are a little slower both starting and driving, so we slow down and take the time to enjoy life?
Dave ----

It's not evaporation, or if it is then there is yet another severe flaw in the design. . I could start my rig cold on a cool day, move it 50 feet and the next morning have to crank it for 30 seconds. and even if all the ethanol left I should still have more than enough as left to start. it's an Edelbrock problem, you need to figure out how to fix it let it hit the dumpster.

y.

Reads like you had something else going on, like a hole in the carb or low floats or watered gas ... I notice longer starts after sitting with the Edelbrock, but only after sitting for days ... after being parked with a very warm engine underneath. Enough days pass ... even a Holley will do it. :-X22