[Amc-list] Choke frozen (literally)

[Victor the Cleaner <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm having a couple of weird problems with the choke on the '63 Ambo:
perhaps someone in a similarly cold clime has had a similar experience
and can shed some light on it.

The car's history is that it probably hadn't run for 15 years (I've had
it for about five) before I brought it back up last month.  So I rebuilt
the Holley 2300 with a little careful swapping in of damaged parts from
some junkers.  When I started the motor (in cold weather) and roughed 
in the carb settings, the choke was working perfectly - closed nice and 
tight; vacuum pulloff behaved exactly as specified once the motor was 
running, and opening up wide once it was at operating temperature.  So 
far, so good.

Here are the two problems I'm having:

First, I get out on the highway (again, ambient temperature is cold) 
and run it for, say, 10-15 minutes.  I come to a stop sign, and the 
motor stalls.  Popping the hood, I find the choke closed tight, even 
though the motor's at operating temperature.  I can start it again if 
I prop the choke open.

Second, I get home, park, and let it sit overnight.  In the morning,
it won't start because the choke is frozen *open*.  "Frozen" as in: 
there's ice in the thermostat housing and the vacuum pulloff piston/lever 
assembly that's keeping it from closing.  This is weirding me out, because
the engine-temperature air that the manifold-via-carb vacuum sucks into 
the choke assembly comes from that little steel line that goes down to the 
manifold via that strange hexagonal thingy with the little hole in the side 
covered by the little bimetal thermo.  That air should be clean, dry, and 
hot, right?  The water that's getting into the choke obviously isn't 
coolant, because I've got lots of antifreeze in there.  What the hell?

Signed, 
Mystified in Millarville

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