Firing order for Chevy 400 Sm Block question.

[Ron R. II]

Hello,
Recently did cap ,roter, & wires on my hei setup.
This is on a non-California '78 4x4 Stepside Chevy w/small block 400.

Followed the locations they were in originaly and still seems to idle
fairly rough so am wondering if someone back before my Father owned it
may have switched some wires.

Didn't have a book handy, so I marked the cap with a dot and called it
#1. Then worked counter clock from 1-8.

Layout I worked with is as follows:

Looking at truck from front (Driver side to right, passenger to left),
the cap is #ed 1-8 counterclockwise with 1 being the left of the 2
frontmost terminals:

6 5
7 4
8 3
1 2

Cylinders as follows:

1 4
6 5
8 7
3 2

Could someone please mark this up for me with correct numbering next
to my numbering? IE: where I have 1 if it is really 8 for example mark
as 1(8), where 1 is my # and (8) is the true number.

Also please relay if this is the right wiring layout or if I need to
switch some around.

My Dad spent years chasing the miss/roughness but never used it much
so don't know if he ever got around to checking firing order.

The engine was rebuilt once shortly after he bought the truck but then
was only used about 200mi a year since then (12-13 years ago).

Thanks!
Ron

[GREG]

Firing order on a small block Chev is 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2, with no. 1 cylinder
as front drivers side. drivers side of block are odd numbers,1 3 5 7,
passenger side, 2 4 6 8, numbered from the front. If you need to locate the
rotor position for no.1 cylinder, remove no 1 sparkplug, stick your finger
in the hole and have someone bump the starter a little at a time. When you
feel compression try to blow your finger out, the piston for no 1 is
approaching TDC, Turn the engine by hand until the timing marks line up on
the damper pulley. Remove the distributor cap, the rotor will be pointing to
no 1 sparkplug wire. Put no 1 wire in that location and wire the rest in
order.
Greg

Ron R. II wrote in message <39481e28...@news.pacifier.com>...

[PRM]

Try this,

Firewall
3 6
4 5
8 7
1 2
Front of engine

Distributor turns clockwise. Vacuum advance is between 1 and 8 on the GM
point type dist. On the HEI (big cap) there are two front terminals, the
one on the passenger side is #1, then 18436572 CW.

Good luck,
Phil

Ron R. II <ron...@pacifier.com> wrote in message
news:39481e28...@news.pacifier.com...

> Hello,
> Recently did cap ,roter, & wires on my hei setup.
> This is on a non-California '78 4x4 Stepside Chevy w/small block 400.
>
> Followed the locations they were in originaly and still seems to idle
> fairly rough so am wondering if someone back before my Father owned it
> may have switched some wires.
>
> Didn't have a book handy, so I marked the cap with a dot and called it
> #1. Then worked counter clock from 1-8.
>
> Layout I worked with is as follows:
>
> Looking at truck from front (Driver side to right, passenger to left),
> the cap is #ed 1-8 counterclockwise with 1 being the left of the 2
> frontmost terminals:
>

> 3 6
>4 5

[Mike Golden]

Don't forget, the wires go on the cap clockwise. Also don't forget if
you ever work on a Pontiac, that they do not. Don't ask me how I know
that one! :-)

GREG wrote:
>
> Firing order on a small block Chev is 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2, with no. 1 cylinder
> as front drivers side. drivers side of block are odd numbers,1 3 5 7,
> passenger side, 2 4 6 8, numbered from the front. If you need to locate the
> rotor position for no.1 cylinder, remove no 1 sparkplug, stick your finger
> in the hole and have someone bump the starter a little at a time. When you
> feel compression try to blow your finger out, the piston for no 1 is
> approaching TDC, Turn the engine by hand until the timing marks line up on
> the damper pulley. Remove the distributor cap, the rotor will be pointing to
> no 1 sparkplug wire. Put no 1 wire in that location and wire the rest in
> order.
> Greg
>
> Ron R. II wrote in message <39481e28...@news.pacifier.com>...

> >Hello,
> > Recently did cap ,roter, & wires on my hei setup.
> >This is on a non-California '78 4x4 Stepside Chevy w/small block 400.
> >
> >Followed the locations they were in originaly and still seems to idle
> >fairly rough so am wondering if someone back before my Father owned it
> >may have switched some wires.
> >
> >Didn't have a book handy, so I marked the cap with a dot and called it
> >#1. Then worked counter clock from 1-8.
> >
> >Layout I worked with is as follows:
> >
> >Looking at truck from front (Driver side to right, passenger to left),
> >the cap is #ed 1-8 counterclockwise with 1 being the left of the 2
> >frontmost terminals:
> >

> > 6 5
> > 7 4
> > 8 3

> > 1 2
> >
> >Cylinders as follows:
> >
> >1 4
> >6 5
> >8 7
> >3 2
> >
> >Could someone please mark this up for me with correct numbering next
> >to my numbering? IE: where I have 1 if it is really 8 for example mark
> >as 1(8), where 1 is my # and (8) is the true number.
> >
> >Also please relay if this is the right wiring layout or if I need to
> >switch some around.
> >
> >My Dad spent years chasing the miss/roughness but never used it much
> >so don't know if he ever got around to checking firing order.
> >
> >The engine was rebuilt once shortly after he bought the truck but then
> >was only used about 200mi a year since then (12-13 years ago).
> >
> >Thanks!
> >Ron
> >

--
Mike Golden - mgo...@cataclysm.net
"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."