QuestionHi Dick I am building a rat rod pickup truck powered with a packard streight eight.The motor runs but with a miss,so I am going to do the tune up.Plugs Wires,Cap and rotor.My questions are What is the firing order and how to time the motor?
AnswerThe firing order is 1-6-2-5-8-3-7-4.
Make sure you know which wire is #1 before you pull out the old wires, and also make sure you know which way the rotor turns, so you can put them all back in the right holes!
Set the point dwell to 30 degrees first, then rotate the distributor by loosening the clamp screw at the base of the distributor until you find the setting where the idle speed is fastest, then retard it about 5 degrees from there. Then test drive the car - put it in high gear at about 30 MPH, when it is fully warmed up, and with the gas you are going to be using in it. Make small adjustments in the timing so that you can just barely induce "ping" on moderate acceleration at 30 MPH - the right setting is when you can only barely induce "ping", more or less throttle opening will make it go away. This is the optimum for both power and economy.
You must set the dwell first, then the timing - not the other way around.
Usually, with these engines, a miss that won't go away after an ignition tune-up is caused by a burned valve, and typically that is either #4 or #5 exhaust valve. If that is what you have, it's valve job time! If this is a hydraulic valve lifter engine (they had both), be sure NOT TO MIX up the 16 lifters - keep the same ones in the same holes! They had 288, 327 and 356 engines in 1948 (the 356s are all hydraulic valve lifter engines), and with either 5 or 9 main bearings.
Dick (very familiar with these engines!)
