Best way to start a '77 w/ 350 and a Quadrajet

[devanray]

I was just wondering what the 'proper' ,cold starting and hot starting, way to start my '77 C10 with a 350 / 400 & Quadrajet w/ electric choke and mechanical fuel pump all fired by an HEI?

I've been having starting issues while hot and I think I've nailed it by adjusting the choke and a few other carb 'settings', but I want to make sure that I am starting it the way that I should be.

This is what I do:

Cold; pump twice - hold throttle - turn ignition - release throttle/ignition when engine fires.

Hot; no pump - turn ignition - release ignition when engine fires.

What do you all think is the 'proper' way?

Thanks!

[topp]

I was always partial to :

Cold:  Pedal to floor once (to set choke), then start.
Hot: Start

[devanray]

link=topic=20328.msg165387#msg165387 date=1303856320]
I was always partial to :

Cold:  Pedal to floor once (to set choke), then start.
Hot: Start
[/quote]
You have to set the choke, even on an electric? Now, do you hit the floor and then release or keep it there and start?
I'll floor and release tomorrow with the hood up and see what it does, thanks.
[quote author=topp

[1980c10]

Step 1
With the key on,
Pushing the pedal to the floor and releasing it will activate the fast idle cam as well as the choke.
then start

If it doesn't go or it has been sitting for an extended period of time
Step 2
Pumping the pedal will give it a little prime from the accelator pump.
before and while cranking

If you suspect the engine is flooded.
Step 3
Hold the pedal to the floor
while cranking.

This seems to have worked well for me.

[devanray]

How long should it crank before it fires, four seconds to long? Should it light up right away? Just want to find out what a 'normal' would be to give me a target while I dial everything in.

I know this seems like a silly question but I really do appreciate your help.

@ 1980c10 - Forgot about the fast idle cam, thanks. I'll have to do some reading about the choke and how it works.

[bake74]

     Also not mentioned, by pushing the pedal once on a cold start, it will spray fuel into the carb and have access to the fuel right now instead of waiting for engine to turn over.  When a engine is cold it is harder for the atomization of the fuel to process, therefore adding the spray of fuel partially "floods" the chamber forcing it to atomize.
     On a hot engine, (carb)the fuel instantly atomizes and is ready for firing.  So as stated before and my truck is the same, cold 1 pump and fire.  Hot, just turn the key.  It should start within 2 or 3 revolutions of the engine on both cases, if not check your timing and plugs/wires. 
     Do you know if your carb. is clean ?  (jets)  The hot issue could also be your timing.  I have run into that before with mine.

[devanray]

The plugs are new and the wires look good but can't guarantee anything. I'll check the timing today, should have done that before... I wonder if I've tried but couldn't find the TDC marker. I'll have to take another look. I've been in the middle of so many projects I usually can't remember were I am. Got new shocks up front, exhaust gaskets on pass side, new horn-button-relay but not hooked to power yet. 

I'm thinking that I should make sure that the timing is good before I fiddle with the carb any more. I'm going to also make sure my e-choke is working, once I figure out how to test it.

I'll update about the timing. Thanks for that. Thanks to all for giving me some guidelines for what I should expect from my rig when it is set up correctly.

[bake74]

     To make it easier on yourself, if you find the mark on the harmonic balancer and use a white paint pen to mark it, it makes it so much easier to see when timing it.  Also make sure your marker tab is clean, so you can see the 0, so you can tell which way to go.