Ford Repair: automatic choke, laymans terms, carburator

Question
hi, i have a question about the automatic choke (i think) on the carburator of my 1981 F-150.
I recently rebuilt the carb but am having a lot of trouble getting it to run at the proper rpm. It will run fine if i adjust my idle really high (like 3200 rpm) but will die at anything lower. A local mechanic told me that my auto ckoke must be out of whack, but he didn't want to discuss how i should adjust it. I had a ford cetified friend go through my carb to see if everything was correct and he said it was, but unfortunately he is now unavailable, so now, once the carb is installed and not working as well as i would like, i'm stuck! I would appreciate your response in "laymans" terms if possible since i am not exactly the worlds greatest mechanic, but can usually figure things out if explained. the reason the carb needed rebuilding initially was due to an irratic surge-and-die tactic that is no longer present. thanks a bunch-matt

Answer
Matt,
You should check to see first if your timing is set right. If your timing is off, on the engine this will cause the vehicle not to run at the proper rpm. The engine must be cold before any adjustment can be made on the carb. Let me know and get back to be.. Thanks..