Manual vs. Auto chokes

["Chris and Ranae Procyk" <procyk19@domain.elided>]

I'm the sort of person that wants simplicity in everything .. so I was
always in support of manual chokes.  Now I'm a little ambivalent, since I
have two basically identical vehicles, one with a perfectly behaving auto
choke and the other with a manual that I have been struggling with.  I have
a third truck with the manual choke that I can work perfectly.

Now note two important facts:

1) The hard-to-operate manual choke is on a generic carb that has a few
minor but maybe important differences (especially the holes in the choke
butterfly) than the orginal.
2) How often do you see an automatic choke that works perfectly?

What are the problems with a manual choke?  Only two that I can think of:

1) You can't just let your vehicle sit and warm up--- eventually the rich
mixture will at least foul your plugs, and usually stall the vehicle.  (Then
you have to try to start it with fouled plugs).

2) And this is the problem I have with the T/E- it can be really tricky to
start warm- like after an hour or so.  It won't start w/out some choke, but
I often flood it.

Right now I have a completely stock ign setup.  I'm going to eventually
boost the spark to Pertronix/Accel Coil&wires/Bosch plugs level- so it will
hopefully be able to fire my way through a wide variety of air/fuel mixes.
Once it kicks warm then I'm OK.

I would think if you have an MSD or Jacobs you would definitely be happiest
with the manual choke.

Now, if I wanted to be Landryesqe, I would mount two high precision
temperature gauges- coolant and ambient air-  I would then construct charts
or formulas to tell me down to the millimeter how far to pull out the choke
for given conditions!!

But I think I'll just swear at it for now.  Meanwhile the auto choke (this
is the manifold heat type) just fires the truck right up in any situation.

Oh, and there's a third problem if somebody like my wife drives the truck.
When for any reason it isn't idling well, she uses the choke to boost the
idle.  This of course richens the mixture, blackening the plugs, and the
whole thing goes into a downward spiral.