hard starting 440

I have a 86 dodge truck that i put a 440 in that is real hard starting. it has a mp electronic distributor, stock black box, and a mopar tan top coil. it has a TQ carb and a edelbrock performer intake. when i try to start it first time in the morning it wont start at all and sometimes i get a pop when i turn the key to off. if it does start, once its warms up it runs great, if it doesnt start i can usually snuf it with starting fluid and it will start. the carb is a rebuilt one from summit, and i have checked the squriter and its pumping fuel, the choke is closing as it should and comes off fine after it warms up. i have checked the spark at the coil wire and i am getting spark. i have checked the ballist resistor for voltage,(12.7 in, 9.2 out). I have also checked it for intermittent voltage to the resistor, with a test light and it checks fine. I have replaced the coil, ecu , with other units with no change. does anyone have any ideas as to my problem, or a path as to how to track this down? The engine by the way is a fresh rebuilt and i have run a compression check also its fine.

The ballast is bypassed in start, so you should be seeing fully battery voltage to the coil in start. The ignition switch does this.

Are your voltage readings in and out of the ballast with the engine running, or just the key on/engine off?

pull coil wire out of dist & hold it 1/4" from the intake (ground) & have a helper crank it with the key & see if you get a healthy spark (the more bluish the better). did you say the AP is squirting & the choke is set right (not too tight not too loose). EDIT kind of a stretch but is the gas fresh. also no vac leaks (no stretch there). what is your initial?

someone I know got a TQ from summit and had a problems with it. in the end, it turned out that the floats were soldered back on to the arms upside down. they took the arms off, re-soldered the floats and put them back on wrong. he swapped out the floats and it ran prefect.

went out this morning and ran a jumper from the pos batt over to pos coil and hit the key . fired right up , ill have to get back into the wiring and find where the ignition bypass for start is and reconnect it. i pulled about 150 feet of wiring out of this truck when i got rid of the under fender computer. that was the problem . ty for the info.