Flaming Carburetor

["Neil Shaw" <neil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Let me preface this by saying that this is my son's car, I only occasionally
move it in and out of the garage, and he's off to college so it's been
sitting for a while. I'm picking off repair issues one at a time as time
permits.
Got the wipers reconnected (last weeks post) and all is well (thanks for the
help).
Got the Pertronics installed (this weeks post) and it's working fine (thanks
for the help).

Now on to the next problem. I took the air cleaner off and noticed that the
inside of it and the carburetor are black like it has been backfireing
through the carb. So I started it up from cold and watched and when it died
(which it usually does once or twice on cold starts) it shot flames out the
carb! It has apparently been doing this for some time based on the amount of
charred surface I see. This is a new one to my limited engine experience.
What's going on and what should I do about it?
Thanks,
Neil Shaw
'72 Javelin with 304 automatic.