My 79 (2.3/Auto) is nearly impossible to start after it gets warmed up and sits for more than about 5 minutes. Less than 5 minutes it starts OK, after that you gotta crank it for a minute or two to get it to start until it sits an hour or two. Pushing the pedal to the floor doesn't make it start, although i don't know if it would start at all if it wasn't on the floor. When it does start it starts with a hell of a cloud of blue smoke. I don't know for sure if its valve seals leaking alot of oil into the cylinder (why would it only effect the starting when it is hot tho?) or if the carburetor is leaking gas down the intake somehow and washing oil off the cylinder walls (causing the blue smoke). It has an electric fuel pump. I don't know if it could be vapor lock. It does seem to start easier when the air cleaner is off. The engine in this car is pretty worn, there is a pretty decent amount of smoke coming out the oil cap when running and there is lots of splatters of oil along with it. It doesn't use an excessive amount of oil tho. The engine did sit for several years in a junk parts car before i got a hold of it and put it in this car.

My 76 (2.3/4spd) has the same behavior, also electric pump, but it is not nearly as hard to start. It is hard-ER than normal to start when hot after sitting a minute but no where near as bad as this 79. What do you guys think is going on? If its valve seals, how the world do I get the lifters out? (so I can get the cam out, so I can get the valve spring compressor on the springs to replace the valve seals.)

I figured all the oil in the cylinder might make it tough to start but I didn't know for sure. The carburetor has a new kit in it, I put it in myself. However, I'm no professional when it comes to a carburetor.... just about anyone can put one in. Cant say its right tho! What would be the problem? Float too high?

All of those things are a possibility. This carburetor did sit for many years (15) on the car without being run while the motor was blown until I got a hold of it, but the float bowl was dry after all that time. I checked it and it seemed fine so I didn't replace it. Also I couldn't make a mechanical fuel pump work on it so i used an electric pump. The car seems to use a lil more fuel than it should also. I'll replace the float and reset its height this weekend or next week. Ill also check the fuel pressure. I may need a regulator for this car and the 76 too which has a lesser degree of the same problem.

This pump is a cheap universal electric pump from O'reillys. 5 to 7 psi if I remember right. I think in the past I tested it and fuel pressure was  5 psi. I run electric pumps on 2 of my pintos because when i put on a new mechanical pumps they never worked. I tried several on my 76, a couple worked for about a thousand miles and then quit. The last one I tried didn't work at all. You can tell the pumps were good tho because pushing the push rod down with your had gave a great suction in the fuel inlet. The lobe on the aux shaft is just worn down too much I guess. Anyways i tried a new mechanical pump on this 79 too with the same, I didn't try messing with 5 or 6 like I did with the 76. When one new pump didn't work, I just went electric. Ill keep you updated Thanks for the help so far guys