I live in Atlanta which is HOT in the summer (maybe not as hot as wherever you are in Texas). I use deathanol exclusively and have never experienced a problem like that. I have a carter YF carb.
However, different blends of fuel around the country may cause your fuel in the fuel bowl to completely evaporate between starts. Sometimes this can occur in as little as an hour or less. Ethanol fuel is much more volatile than non-ethanol fuel.
How long after shutdown does your carburetor empty itself of fuel?
If your accelerator pump is leaking , the fuel could be running out of the bowl and onto the intake runner. I would look down the throat of the carb after shutoff and see if you see fuel dribbling or puddling on the intake runner.
I wouldn't use starting fluid. Your fuel pump should be able to refill the carburetor in just a few seconds of operation. If it doesn't, figure out why.
2-4psi is the factory recommended fuel pressure. My truck runs at 2.5psi last time I checked. If your fule pressure is less than 2psi at the carb, then your fuel pump needs to be rebuilt.
Do you have an original glass bowl style fuel pump? If so, is there fuel visible in the pump when the no-start issue occurs? The fuel pump should hold fuel after shutdown. My truck can sit for weeks and not lose fuel from the fuel pump. Pump was rebuilt by Then and Now Automotive 10k miles ago.
It has to sit for 4 or 5 days before I have to wait for the carb to fill up with fuel while starting cold.
