mine looks like the second one, except it doesnt have a electric choke, or any choke for that matter. in the cold weather its almost impossible to start.
check out www.fordsix.com for other carb ideas. On that site there is a link called (a day at the dyno), although this wont solve your problems, it does offer an "out side the box" look at other carburator options for our small six's.
Yea I've had trouble with the heated choke they came with, I drove my 4 door 2 winters ago without a choke, I had to sit outside holding and pumping the gas to let the ford warm up which is even a feat for a ford with a choke installed
I usually cheat by screwing the idle screw in until it will stay running, and then troubleshooting from there. Have you used a vacuum gauge to set up the air/fuel mix?