Father was right! On later models with Thermoquads, the starting instructions (mine are still on the visor of my '78 NYB) say to depress the pedal to the floor once and then turn the key with your foot off the pedal. (For very cold mornings, they suggest holding the pedal down 1/3 of the way while turning the key.) I find that this works well on my '63-72 cars as well, and if they've sat for more than a few days, I treat any first start as a "very cold morning." They all start up as they should and go immediately to fast idle, so this seems to be the right way! Chris in LA Print Bear wrote: > My father always said: > > When your car is cold, pump the accelerator pedal twice, all the way to > the floor, then turn the key and it should start. If it doesn't, hold > the accelerator pedal to the floor, don't pump it, just hold it there > and turn the key.