my carbed 7.4 is an absolute bear to start after not being used for an extended time. I usually crank for 5-10 seconds to fill the bowls, pump twice and leave at quarter-ish throttle, and then crank again, and it usually fires. Sometimes it cranks a little longer with extra pumping.
When im at the lake for a few days and im running it every day, one pump back to quarter throttle and a bump of the starter - fires instantly!
Had a hot start issue where it wouldnt fire after sitting post-shut down. Mechanic played with it and ruled out flooding, and we ended up changing most of the ignition components (sensor, cap, rotor, wires, and coil), and it made a huge difference.
My experience with the big blocks so far is that they aren't as forgiving as the smaller engines when it comes to starting, from what I've read its just the way it is?
