3.0 Mercarb choke info

Hello Super Humans,

I'm new to the forums, thanks for letting me in this great community.

I went through a few related posts on the forums as well as on YouTube, looking for answers. In all the rebuild videos, the carbs are off the engine and I see the Choke plate swings freely and brought back with the spring. I can't find any doing the same with the carb on the engine and hooked up. The reason for this question is that I have to toy with the throttle to get her to start and she smokes to much for my taste until the thermostat opens the choke plate wide open. My choke plate does not close completely when cold (about 3/8'' opened), and I feel resistance (like a stuck/ dragging linkage). Once the choke plate is fully opened she is just a dream, Purrs like a kitten at idle, hole shots like a hot damn but she is a smoky cold starter. I adjusted Idle mix and idle speed as recommended in the forum, for which I than you all. Just need to solve the smoking start.

My Question: Is the choke plate supposed to be swinging free just by pushing your finger on it and brought back shut by the spring? Will it only do this if the throttle cable is disconnected??

Any suggestion?

Thanks all,

Pyro

Cold engine, Engine off, slightly advance throttle, choke plate should close to a 1/8 inch drill bit.
If not, loosen the 3 screws on the heating element and rotate it to close
Turn ign on, choke plate should be fully open in about 3 minutes or less