Define 'crappy old carb,' though. Autolites are some of the best at fuel atomization...

 

Autolites are good carbs for factory carburetors, but some of the older technology Holleys are bad, straight leg boosters, **** poor metering circuits, and no sensitivity.

 

If that was the case, why would you ever need a choke?

Unfortunately, most people don't always have the luxury of warming up their cars for 15min. My car is my daily driver and most of my trips are short trips to and from work/school. I let it warm up for a couple minutes, enough to let it run under 2k rpm without falling on its face, and usually enough to see the temp gauge start to move off the peg (~100F), but I can't sit around and wait until the t-stat opens every time I drive it. I'd love it if I could, but it's just not realistic.

That said, if you don't seem to have any problems with it, I may give it a shot next time I pull my intake off. Not like my motor is really happy before it reaches operating temp anyway.

 

The choke is there for when you very first start it. As far as running before warmed up, it's a carburetor, it'll be lean. If I try to drive mine before it has a chance to half way warm up, then it'll be more cranky at lower rpm. But part of that is going to be how good the carburetor itself is. A better idle circuit and metering system will help with driving before the engine is totally warmed up. But if you try and drive it when it's too cold, it just won't work well, one of the downsides to a carburetor...they have their limitations.