I am new to the Mini world. I am working on a 998 mid to late 80's engine the body is a 76'. The car will run with the choke pulled even a little but dies near immediately when the choke is released. It smells as though it may be running a bit rich- I have no manul and it has been 15 years since I have worked on a carb. Can anyone lead me in any direction?
By pulling the carb you are introducing extra fuel. Sounds like you need to adjust the carb to get your fuel ratio correct. Depending on the style carb you have you'll either have a place to turn with a screwdriver on the left side of the carb looking at it, or you will have a style where you can reach under the bowl and turn a larger looking nut. Or it could just be something as simple as adjusting the idler screw to keep it running. Without the car running pull the choke and notice what it is moving and make adjustments from there.
Have a look through these files, may help out a bit. Another thing to watch for while dialing in your fuel is you may foul your plugs, which can make an already confusing process of tuning impossible. So get some extra plugs. http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/index.php?topic=8.0 (http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/index.php?topic=8.0)