[nUcLeArEnVoY]

My '79 T/A with the factory carb does the same thing that most of the people in the thread are reporting. Starts just about immediately if I crank it up within 14 or so hours of the last start, but if it sits for a day or more, It'll crank for 3-6 seconds after one pump press on the gas pedal before starting up.

I always assumed it was a probably loss of cranking compression because of my aftermarket cam, but apparently this is a very common thing with QJets even when they were new because of their shallow fuel bowls. Lars Grimswud is a QJet disciple over in the Corvette space and he remembers when these cars were for sale and brand new, any cars that were sitting on dealer lots for days on end wouldn't start until after several seconds or more of cranking.

But then you see videos of people starting QJet cars cold at literally the flick of a key. I dunno what to think.

The OP's issue does sound odd, though. Maybe invest in a return line? The check valve in the fuel filters were originally meant to prevent fuel drain back into the rest of the system in the event of a rollover crash, but they also help retain some of the fuel in the carb for starting. Do you also have a thick insulating gasket to also help with preventing fuel from boiling in the carb?

Gas these days in general, even the non-ethanol gas is formulated different from the gas of yesteryear. It's a lot more volatile across the board, and evaporates more readily. It doesn't take much evaporation in combination with the QJets shallow fuel bowl design to compromise the fuel needed for an immediate cold start.