What about timing? He says its hard to start and pumping the pedal would usually get mine to start when the timing was too advanced.. mybe try retarding the timing a little.

 

I had the same problem with my 289. I changed the carb out and it fixed my problem. The carb was about 13 years only and had some issues with sticking and flooding. I could have rebuilt, but I needed the issue fixed.

Question, what make and age of your carb and how long has your car sat for?