Choke cable adjustment can be quite finicky. Hitting that sweet spot that gives one full choke and raises the nozzles all the way up usually takes a few tries before I'm satisfied.

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone who helped out. I didn't want to leave the thread hanging for people of the future but the finding was nothing revolutionary. After checking and seeing the choke was working properly I went back to search for leaks. I decided to try a smoke method and couldn't get anything. I tried using carb cleaner to look for leaks in the past but out of frustration I tried it again and used A LOT. After puddling formed around the balance tube the leak finally revealed itself on the side of the balance tube. Now that is sealed, it's almost back to it's normal self.

That is until I installed the new 123ignition distributor. That'll keep me busy for the next couple of days.

Thanks everyone for the help.

Excellent. That all makes perfect sense. A cold lean idle is an unhappy idle. You want every molecule of air going through the venturi, not around it!

Glad you found it!!