If my '71 442 sits more than 2 days, it becomes very hard to crank. It takes much cranking to evidently get gas up to the carb. The engine is newly rebuilt and the fuel pump is new. Any ideas why this would be happening? If you put a little bit of gas in the carb it starts immediately. The carb is also recently rebuilt.
Thanks,

 

What kind of carb do you have?
Sounds like the gas may be leaking out of the fuel bowl while it sits.

 

It is the original QJet. Someone mentioned to me that these carbs could leak gas out through some screws in the bottom of the bowl. They mentioned epoxying those screws. Ever heard of such? I have gotten a new internal gas filter (from NAPA) that has some sort of little spring in it that prevents gas from flowing back toward the pump. Thanks

 

Yeah, it's pretty common for the old Q-jets to leak. GM had a kit to fix it years ago, and some of the rebuild kits may have new plugs for the bottom of the wells. I've also heard of people using JB Weld to seal off the wells.
Maybe Joe Padavano will see this thread and chime in as well.

 

It's not screws that are leaking, it is plugs the mfr. put in to plug the holes used when drilling certain passages in the carb body. J B Weld works better than anything else I've found to seal up the plugs. They are in the bottom of the float bowl, between the bowl and the throttle body. Bench testing for leaks doesn't always work, as I have seen some that only leak when warm. Good luck,
DW