How are these installed...Is the orginal choke componets removed...

 

The heat pipe is removed and the opening is plugged on the manifold, the coil and cover are removed from the housing on the carburetor and replaced with the electric unit and it's cover and the wire is installed to ignition source. Then you re-attach the choke rod. It's not too hard. You can buy a block off plate for the manifold from a speed catalog or find some ingenious way to plug the opening in the original yourself.

 

Is the choke rod the rod inside the choke housing that goes into the carb,,I pulled that out and now am having a heck of a time reattaching the rod to the linkage

 

The choke rod is the rod on the passenger's side of the carburetor that attaches the choke valve to the bimetallic spring in the choke stove. If you removed the choke stove from the carburetor then you need to put it back on, it doesn't need to be removed to switch to an electric choke.