Firing Order with my 289/302

[kensholland]

Last fall I bought a 68' with a 289 / C4.  The car has a December 67' build date.
The previous owner told me the car has a 302 block, 289 heads.  Based on the VIN, it does not appear to be a HO engine.

This winter I am in the process of tuning up the car.  I am currently replacing the cap and rotor.  However I am confused by the firing order.  The current wires are in the following order 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8.  The manual says it should be 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8.

What am I missing here?
Thanks

Ken Serrell, Holland - New member Jan 2022

[65ravenblack]

I see it's been a while since you asked and maybe you already have the answer but the firing order is determined by the camshaft. Running from memory so I could be off, I believe ford changed the firing order of 302s in 1982 or 83 the same time they changed from 28 oz imbalance to 50 oz. It's also possible that you have an older 302 block with an aftermarket camshaft.

[kensholland]

I think I figured out what is going with the firing order. The 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8 is that of an HO engine. The engine has been rebuilt and now has an edelbrock intake and 4 BBL carb. I believe when the engine was rebuilt the CAM was also upgraded so the engine is now effectively an HO.

The car does have a numbers matching 289 in it.

Thanks