Got her running pretty good now We did the redline adjustment procedures... let me run through what I did. Check then rechecked the linkages, both do not hold plate open... both engage plate at same time, both hold plate all the way openat full throttle. Idle mix screw started at 1 1/2 turn out from lightly seated, Air bypass screws, started at lightly seated, checked timing. verified TDC with a plug out and a dowel on compression stroke. marked it and them the factory 6 degrees with a adjustable light at 3500 RPM as described in my book, all checks fine... we did the lean idle drop as described on the redline site, Then we checked the sync with the hose method I cant believe the tiny differences you can hear, we got them all the same which took a while adjusting the air bypass screws, it really smoothed out at this point. went and redone the lean idle drop... Then I used a IR non contact thermometer on the exhaust pipes just after the bend on the straight part, there was a bit of temp differences in... has anyone ever measured exhaust temps this way???? I figured there is a variance in the needles and seats so 1 out on a perticular screw might not be the same on the next screw..... So we fiddled with it till al the temps were within 10-20 degrees of each other.... seems to be running really good the idle screw is in about 3/8 from touching which redline says 1/4 - 1/2 so it good there and idles about 1000 rpm .... this is after messing with it for about 2 hours, it wraps up the rpm fast and no popping, or back fires,,, BUT I started up this morning after sitting all night, and the garage is maybe 40 degrees here is what it does, slight pump start run for 3 seconds die, slight pump run for a few seconds, started to die I held acc slightly to 1500 rpm and it smoothed out in 20 seconds or so, then it idles but alot lower like 700 rpm almost tractors.... i let it run for a couple of minutes and the RPM didnt come up. I shut it off.... So why would the RPM be so much lower today? I know its cold but I would think it would come up in a minute or so... and also on the idle screws since I got all the temps close one screw might be at 3/4 and the next be a little over 1 the nest migh be 1 1/4, am I thinking right that all the temps should be the same and not worry about the amount it is turned out??? jua for those not familar with my set-up it is a 2.0 with 1.7 heads flat pistons slight early rabby cam, carbs rebuilt, new rotary pump, 120 main jets(as recommended on here), f11 tubes, 200 air, 50 idle jets, 55 bypass pump, Thanks for the input Wayne

Let the engine warm up. Cold carbs take some time to warm up. Its normal.

We don't use chokes to get more gas into cold carbs to keep the RPM up when cold.

I usually hold idle at 1800 rpm with my foot until head temps reach 100, and then test to see if the carbs are ready to run on their own. Coldest I have driven my car is 33F, and it just takes a little while.
Zach

I never adjusted the idle mixture screw by temperature. I don't think I'd use IR surface temps to determine true exhaust temp. I would adjust them per the procedure. Turn them in until you notice the drop and then adjust them out. I never had a large difference in the mixture screws. If it's an old set of carbs you could have wear on the needle and seat. Some guys reef hard on them and booger them up.

Carbs make an engine cold blooded in the winter. I always had to wait a bit before it ran smooth. Sometimes 10 to 15 minutes.

anyone else run ito the situation that sometimes to do the lean idle drop one screw doesnt seem to make much of a difference one time, then the next time even a scuttle turn make a big difference? we even pulled that idle jet and checked for blockage but didnt seem to be any??? is that just the nature since there are 4 of them??? that is why we though of using the ir gun....

I guess i'm not doing as bad as I thought. My 40's in cold weather still only take a minute to warm up. Yes I will get some popping sometimes, even when warm. If I feather the accel on cold start up for 1 minute, its ready to go after that. No matter what temp outside I still pump accel w/power on 4-5 times before starting. That does it. 25-27mpg in city driving, over 30 on highway.

If I didn't notice a drop I back the screw back out and try again. It's subtle. I figured I just missed it.

Get an STE airflow meter, or at least a unisyn, the tube method is not accurate.

I though the tube method was pretty decent you can hear a very subtle difference in the screw adjustment. the you can match the pitch between the carbs, I just thought the meters were faster. motorcycle guys have been syncing carbs that way for a long time.