Vannin' Home Forums Ford Troubleshooting Do I pump the gas or not pump the gas when cold starting (74 ford e-100 van)?

Situation:

1974 Ford E-100 Automatic Van, v8, 302.

The van sits many times for weeks/months at a time. When I first start up the van after sitting for so long, it is a real pain because the carburetor doesn't get gas quick enough. IF I take off the dog house, and add a little bit of gas to the carburetor, it starts right up. However, it is a royal pain in the butt in the take the dog house off every time I want to start the van every couple of weeks.

Therefore, I'm stuck pumping the gas and having the van try and start. It usually takes about 3-4 attempts of cranking and pumping the gas -- which sounds painful to me... as if I'm killing the starter.

So I have 2 options:



OPTION #1: SOME PEOPLE SAY TO PUT THE KEY IN THE ON POSITION, AND PUMP THE GAS SLOWLY ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND *AFTER* TRY AND TURN THE KEY. Here is a video recommending this technique utilizing a 1967 Mustang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx_Dl139pvY


OPTION #2: OTHER PEOPLE SAY "However, if the car has been sitting more than week, the gasoline will evaporate out of the carburetor — so although you may be pumping the gas pedal, there’s no fuel inside the carb available to squirt. And unless you have an electric fuel pump, the only way to get fuel back up into the carb is to engage the starter (since a mechanical fuel pump only runs while the engine itself is turning over). So for a non-electric fuel pump, carbureted vehicle that hasn’t been run in a week and is proving hard to start, keep pumping the gas pedal WHILE you engage the starter.:
http://blog.motorcarstudio.com/?p=130[/u]



SOOOOooooo... can somebody tell me the proper way to start my van after it has been sitting for weeks/months? Do I pump the gas 4 times BEFORE I try and start it, or do I pump the gas WHILE I'm cranking the engine?

Sorry for the dumb question...