It sounds like your choke may require adjustment. When you remove the air cleaner to spray your ether, do you have to move the butterfly with your finger, or is it already (partially or wide) open? If it is open, have you set the choke by pressing the accelerator pedal once, almost to the floor before attempting the cold start? The choke should be fully closed when you start cold, or else it won't/takes longer with more pumping to start. A lean setting will make it open easier/sooner than with a rich setting, but in both cases, it should always start out fully closed at cold start.
If your choke is closed when the car is cold, and it still won't start, then there may be a primer jet problem. This is common for cars that have sat for a really long time. The small amount of gas that is lingering in this area will easily spoil and then clog the jet, before the problem is noticed or becomes serious elsewhere. This makes the car nearly impossible to start cold without starter fluid, or priming it with gas. On early '60s Imperials w/Carter, the jet can often be cleared by rodding it out with a thin wire like from a shipping tag.
I don't know about the late '60s cars w/Holley, but my '68 currently has the exact same problem. It developed after the car was parked for 11 years without being run. First cold start can't be done without priming it manually, but the rest of the day it starts/runs fine. Priming is usually only necessary on the first cold start of the day. Once I spend some time on it and figure it out, I will post my findings. I am sure that someone else here has already been though this on these cars.
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Beinbrech <jmbeinbrech@xxxxxxxxx>
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 19:36:59 -0800
Subject: IML: 67 starting problems
Ok, i now can say I am having issues with my LeBaron wanting to start in the morning when its cold. If I spray either it will start and all. Once its started it runs fine. I am thinking maybe I got a bad tank of gas. Didn't use Chevron this time. Any ideas what the heck is going on ? Since it runs fine after getting it started, it can't be the fuel pump. Maybe the carb is screwed up somehow.
Jason B
67 LeBaron
67 Crown
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