Hard Starting In The Cold

Well not real cold, it was about 15 above yesterday and I loaded the night before and hauled the jeep about 2 hours away to play in the snow. Upon arriving it wouldn't start After hauling it home once again it would start.
A little back story on the jeep. It has a OF225,GM HEI,Autolite 2150,Offy Dual Port 360,stock Wag air cleaner with the air horn cut off, and stock exhaust manifolds. It does always start fine but it does reside in a heated shop. Now for the scenario. No start,spins over just as good as always. Fuel, fresh full tank, has it at the carb sprays when pumping pedal. Spark, always fun,yes in the end someone will get a jolt. It has it at the plug. continue to crank, even hook jumpers to it to spin it a little faster. We pulled the plugs, they were dry, proceeded to squirt gas in carb to the point you would have thought it was flooded but the plugs were still dry.

In the end we pulled it and in less than 75 feet it started and was fine the rest of the day. I have used it in the winter before but never loaded and hauled it to the point it set outside overnight. Any Ideas?

 

With six-volt F-heads I always made a point of replacing cap, rotor, and points before winter. Setting timing would be good too. I know nothing about HEI.

Plugs and wires top-notch?

Started my 1950 at minus 35ºF one time.

 

Yep.

 

If it starts easily by pulling, I would suspect ignition low voltage when cranking as one possibility.

 

How about a squirt of starting fluid? The V8 in my Triumph can be hard to start if its been a couple weeks, even with full choke. It fires right up with a quick shot of starting fluid.
-Donny

 

I don't know the "personality" of your set-up, but, in cold country, to the old saw/phrase of three needs--spark, gas, and compression should be added--adequate portions of each--spark, gas and compression. Don't know if your tuned-up to perfection (including the carburetor)--which I'm not, but it would be a cold-country help.

My 225 odd-fire with a Rochester 2 Jet carburetor dries out between winter runs. So, with a good battery and strong starter, I come with the thoughts--"its got to sputter before I think much about flooding it out". I burn 91 octane, because it's more volatile/explosive and the extra expense is minimal in my limited usage.

So, all that to say, I give full choke, start pumping the accelerator rapidly and engage the starter and I don't stop pumping until I hear life, or the starter deserves a break. If that fails, I try a judicious squirt of starter fluid--but here we're talking in the deep minus degrees F. Engine heaters are kind to Minnesota engines--but I've never lost an engine for the lack of one.

 

Often works…. but shouldn't be necessary. Need to discover the root problem.

Pull-starting also makes me wonder about low compression.