Classic/Antique Car Repair: mercedes point gap, vacuum leaks, feeler gage

Question
i have a 1973 mercedes 450sl. could you please tell me what the points gap on. also this car is not hiting on the number 4 and 8 cylinders although the plugs are firing. you can take the 4 and 8 wires off at the cap and it does not affect the run of the motor. thank you very much,Jason

Answer
According to MB the points are gapped using a dwell meter at 30 to 34 degrees. However this translates to .016" with a feeler gage. As far as number 4 and number 8 not firing this could be a crack in the distributor cap as 4 and 8 are right next to each other. The other possibility is that the two wires being next to each other have gotten switched. The firing order is going clockwise around the cap starting with number one is 1-5-4-8-6-3-7-2. If this is not the problem I would suggest starting with a compression test to make sure that the engine, valves, and rings are in good shape. If the compression test is ok then look for vacuum leaks, bad injectors and the usual stuff.
Brad