Autolite 1100 woes

The Autolite 1100 is running horrible after two rebuilds and I'm fed up with it. It will not idle without turning the mixture screw counterclockwise/out all the way. So its running really rich from the get go, not to mention with plenty of hesitations, flat spots, and dying. Sometimes after about 20 minutes of idling in the driveway it runs fairly smooth, but most of the time it requires the manual choke.

My budget, time, and *cough* limited knowledge is leaning towards direct bolt on replacements. I've heard good things about Carter YF and Carter RBS, even the Holley 1946 and I'm looking for about 150-200 CFM. Or should I give Pony Carburetors a shot on the Autolite 1100? Again, I know just enough to be dangerous. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jon

Thank you for the advice gentlemen, I greatly appreciate it.

Success! Readjusted the carb with a vacuum gauge (more by ear) and noticed a slight exhaust leak near the headers. Buttoned her up and she ran better than a top. I think initially my curb idle speed was too low, but the exhaust leak wasn’t helping either. Thanks for your help guys, I'll probally still switch carbs soon, but I really needed to get it running - daily driven.