always thought it was because im running rather rich. but when i start the car up, cold or hot, i have white smoke come out the exhaust. doesnt do it when im driving though. just at start up. didnt do it before i changed the carb only on a cold start really.

 

isnt white for coolent burn?

 

White smoke (steam) could be due to water getting into the combustion chamber, or just moisture in the exhaust system. I would suspect the latter as water in the combustion chamber would make continuous smoke, but could also be that water is leaking into the combustion chamberwhen the engine is cold.
Do you find that you have to refill the coolant often?
You could always have the coolant tested for combustion gases and do a compression test to be sure there are no internal leaks

 

no never have to refill coolant.
no leaks of that nature. i had 2 leaks on the car alltogether. that was an exhaust leak that i fixed today, and i have a vacuum leak. so so tedious, havent had the time to do it. umm the hose for the water pump to the heater core (i believe) leaks from the clamp, but not enough to mention.

 

If the coolant level is not changing, then most likely you have moisture in the exhaust, due to humid conditions,which gets boiled off when the engine runs. Common occurrence and nothing to worry about.