So I bought a 1968 Satellite Wagon today. I know nothing about 318 engines. All my cars are set up with manual chokes. I picked it up this morning - started right up and ran great. Drove it 20 mins to my office. Was ready to leave work tonight and it would not start. Turned over plenty but wouldn't go. Is there a auto choke control on these engines? I will give it a full run through tomorrow - but any ideas as to what could have happened?

There are no controls for the choke, it's fully automatic. Likely either the choke was shut and it shouldn't have been, or at least not all the way. Or when sitting the gas boiled out of the carb from heat soak. But a bunch of cranking should have fired it back up if that was the case.

Check to see if fuel is getting to the carb. And look for cracked/broken fuel lines where the`re rubber.

The choke is probably set too lean and the fast idle might be set a little low. Until I fixed the choke on my car it WOULD NOT START unless you stomped about a quarter bowl's worth of accelerator pump shot down the carb.

You probably don't have anything wrong. Go ahead and check to make sure the operation of the choke is not impaired in some fashion, but I suspect you just need to learn how that car starts cold, hot, and other variables that computer controls and EFI have virtually eliminated in the modern car.

While you are checking the choke give it a good spray with carb cleaner,make sure all of the linkages are free. Also check the manifold heat control(the floppy thing on the right manifold if it has one)if it's not free it will give poor drivability in cold weather(stuck open) or carb boiling(stuck closed).
Ron

It is common on these for the heat crossover to carbon up so badly it plugs, which results in the choke not opening after warm up.
It is possible that has happened and a PO has either adjusted/disconnected the choke.
I couldn't count the ones I have run across with this problem. Decarboned,and choke set up properly, works pretty well.
Hand choke is another solution, done that too.

theres no way to help you without a PIC OF THE CAR