Have one made at a Parker Hose store

Yep, it's usually something easy like that.
Glad you got it fixed. (Without the electric fuel pump, electronic ignition crowd spending your money needlessly!)

Welcome, Jim
Always a bigger challenge when you didn't get to take it apart! Get quality copies ALL of the military manuals, including the 3 parts manuals, for the truck. The pictures and descriptions are invaluable to determining what goes where.

It is most pronounced when fully closed.

So, what you don't know is if the choke plate is in the intake tract and if it moves. But you are "lucky" that someone drilled an extra hole in the airhorn of the carb and plugged it with a bolt. You might be able to remove that and see if the choke is closing. The actual bowl vent is alon...

Does the choke actually work? Choking it will draw the fuel from the bowl quickly. If the choke plate isn't closing you will not get the pressure differential you need to get the fuel to flow . And I just keyed off of you saying that you dribble fuel into the main vent tube. You are NOT running an E...

As much as I hate spending money, I'd recommend M-series Rebuild's unit. Even though it isn't a drop in and is expensive. The others don't do anything to address the stress they add to the frame where the box mounts. Cracking has been often reported. Personally, exercise is cheaper. I run stock stee...

When it's warm, don't pull the choke out all the way. Close it quickly while cranking. All you want to do is pull a short slug of fuel to make up for no accelerator pump. If you flood it, choke in, throttle to the floor and crank. It will clear and start with a pleasant cloud of black smoke and soun...

Then you need to work on your starting procedure. Switch on Throttle pulled out a few notches Choke pulled out Step on starter and push choke in while cranking. Start every time hot or cold. (The accelerator pump is vacuum operated. Pumping the pedal does nothing when the engine isn't running. You n...

Carburetor. That is the only place it can "lose" prime.

Headlights are for driving.
Parking lights are for parking.
It's only modern era where they both are on at the same time. (1970's)

Parking lights ONLY come on when the headlight switch is on and the instrument light switch is all the way down. The headlights do NOT come on in this position. The headlights only come on if the instrument lever is off or instrument positions. Parking lights do not come on in service brake.

It can be removed insitu with some minor difficulty. You will need to know the secret curse word of the day while doing the job. It cannot be correctly installed on the vehicle. You will not be able to accurately set the backlash. If all you are doing is removing one and putting a blanking plate on,...

My 53 has the U channel. But who could tell if it is original to the truck.

There needs to be a gasket under the intake extension tube to the intake elbow and one on the upper side of the flange to seal the fording shroud. (If you have the fording kit.)