Without reading all the posts, I'm going to blame it on running too rich. You could compensate for that at idle to some degree, depending on the carb. Unburned gas could cause that. Also hydrocarbons might be too high.

But why in the world do you need to pass emissions on a truck that old? Do you live in California?


52 GMC 3/4 ton pickup
68 Big Block Vette
68 455 Firebird