Firing order

[miles2go]

Hello Gentlemen: New to the website, so hoping this is okay place to ask a question about a 38 flathead six. Need to know the firing order, and which plug wire connection on the dist. cap is #1. I have an engine sitting in a chassis, and want to get it running. The plug wires were loose in the cap and the cap fell off of them when I removed it to look at the points.

I can't tell where they go. I put on a 12 volt coil, and installed a 12 volt condenser, and put a ceramic resistor in a hot wire from the battery to the coil. Using a 12 volt battery,

it cranks over good and sounds like it would run if the wires were on right. I tried a couple of times thinking I might get lucky, but I ran out of daylight. Thanks much

[hchris]

On the lower front pulley you should have a timing notch cut into the pulley, on the front of the timing case cover you should have a pointer; the idea is to turn the engine over by hand until these two marks are aligned. Makes it easier if the plugs are out; and if you put your thumb over number one plug hole as you go, you can confirm you have number one on compression stroke by feeling the pressure build up as number one piston comes to top dead centre.

Having achieved this you can now see where number one lead should go by lifting the distributor cap and note where the rotor button is positioned, all things being equal it should be pointing to the number one spark plug position; we are assuming here that the distributor has not been removed from the engine. I should mention take note which way the rotor button is turning as you hand turn the engine, with the distributor cap off of course and you should be turning the engine over in a clock wise direction as you face the front of the engine

The firing order for most, if not all, straight six engines is 1/5/3/6/2/4, knowing which way the rotor button was turning now means you can progressively connect up all the other plug leads in correct order.

Oh by the way normally this would have been a six volt engine but what you have will do the job, should you choose to maintain twelve volt electrics there will be other issues involving light bulbs, wiper/heater motors etc.