I own a 69 GTX 440 4spd which I've restored as close to factory original as possible. Not unlike a lot of high performance cars of that vintage, it takes a lot of cranking to start it. If it sets more than about 6-8 hours, I can count on having to grind it for a full 30 seconds before starting. The weird thing is:

This hard starting occurs even if I start the car, let it run for a couple minutes & shut it off. I kinda expect this to happen after I've driven it long enough to get everything up to operating temperature. Then I figure the gas is boiling out of the carb and maybe the fuel line next to the block. But the fact that it happens even after it's not gotten hot is puzzling.

I have had the carb rebuilt by two different shops - one a regular carb shop & the other a mopar mechanic - no difference. I've replaced the fuel pump under the assumption the diaphram was leaking - no difference. I replaced the fuel line when I restored the car, the return line is original but not blocked & the entire fuel system is stock. It's almost as though something is pulling a vacuum on the line back to the tank, but all the venting seems to work properly. Occasionally, I get a storng gasoline smell in the garage after I've driven it, but haven't been able to tie it to any particular method of operation.

I've lived with this problem for the 5 years the car has been restored. Some mopar mechanics just say its the nature of the beast. And that its the incompatability of a carbureted engine and today's blends of gasoline, but it seems it should be possible to improve starting. The gasoline shouldn't be evaporating from a cold carb setting on a cold engine. The car runs fine. Anyone experienced this (particularly on a cold engine) and have a thought as to how to get it to start better?

Thanks,
Rich in Golden, CO