Thread: Questions about getting a turbocharged 350 running??

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Hi Guys, I am currently working on a 56 Ford F100 with a Nova front clip and a turbo charged 350, the truck was my Father in laws pride and joy but unfortunately he passed away in 2002 the truck was driven occasionally for the first few years now it has sat for years. I pulled all the plugs and wires cap and rotor and replaced them unfortunately I didn't mark them because I thought I knew the firing order😡!! I typed Chevy 350 firing order into google and a animated You Tube video came up(just google it and it should be the first to come up) anyway when I tried to fire it it backfired through the carb and blew a bunch of stuff out of the exhaust it seems like it is 180 degree's but I don't understand how that could be?? I used the firing order from the animated clip and started with the tower on the cap that faces the #1 cylinder and worked back from there
I used 1-3-5-7-2-4-6-8. Could he have changed the firing order?? He was a mechanic his entire life he built the turbo system himself so he had a lot of knowledge I checked to see which way the distributor was turning and it turns clockwise, not sure of the year of the block he bought a brand new 350/350hp long block in 2000 but no idea of the year, I know Japanese and mostly German cars but I really need to get this thing going so my Mother in law can sell it! Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank You!!

Welcome to CHR!

1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 should get you back in business. Use this site for the diagram(s)

Chevy Engine Firing Orders 283, 327, 350, 400, 427, 454 and More

I'm also located in Tigard - Bull Mountain.

Let me know
Glenn

Thanks Glenn I really appreciate it!! Did I just look up the wrong order or is that some kind of alternate firing order? That's crazy that you are in Tigard as well, I'm just around the corner over by 130th and Scholls Ferry funny huh

You looked up the cylinder numbers, not the firing order. Most Chevy motors have cylinders 1-3-5-7 on the left bank and 2-4-6-8 on the right bank.

You need to understand that the crankshaft rotates 720 degrees (or 2 complete turns) for a cycle to take place in a 4-cycle motor. Each piston comes to top dead center twice, once on the overlap period and the other on the combustion period.

Remove all spark plugs to make the motor easier to turn over with a breaker bar and socket on the harmonic damper retaining bolt head. Have a buddy (maybe Glenn will drive over) hold his thumb over the #1 spark plug hole while you turn the crankshaft clockwise with the bar. As the piston comes up on the compression stroke, your buddy will begin to feel pressure on his thumb. While watching the harmonic damper inertia ring closely, continue to turn the crank until you get indicated TDC on the inertia ring/timing tab on the front cover.

You may have to use a long screwdriver to line up the slot in the distributor drive shaft as you look down into the hole where the distributor goes.
As if we were standing on the motor and looking down on it, we will want to point the rotor tab at #1 cylinder, approximately 5:30 o'clock if you look at a clock face. Position the distributor housing so that you can twist it both ways without the vacuum advance can hitting on the intake manifold. Replace spark plugs. Using your longest spark plug wire, plug it into the 5:30 position on the cap, coinciding with the pointer on the rotor at 5:30 and run the other end of the wire to #1 spark plug. The longest wires will be for #1 and #2. The next longest wires will be for #3 and #4. Next longest for #5 and #6. The shortest wires will be for #7 and #8. Going around the cap in a clockwise manner, the next hole in the cap will take the wire for #8 spark plug, then #4, then #3, then #6, then #5, then #7, then #2.
Through the years, the timing tabs and front covers get mixed up on these motors, so you really should find top dead center and use the proper mark on your harmonic damper to line up with the timing tab on your front cover. Now, depending on where the timing tab is on your motor (there were at least 3 different sets of timing lines and tabs used on the SBC), you might have to rotate the distributor housing a little one way or the other to get the motor to fire off, but unless I miss my guess, SHE WILL FIRE OFF. Have a timing light affixed to the #1 spark plug wire, adjust timing to about 32-36 degrees BTDC w/o the vacuum advance hooked up and lock the distributor down.

Determining TDC is the procedure for finding TDC with the motor assembled.
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w...op_dead_center

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Thank You guys I changed the wires around and rebuilt the carburetor and she fired right up and ran smooth as glass!!! Now I just need to do some tuning and check out the brakes and suspension and she will be ready to sell. Thanks again!

Post a few pictures before you sell it!! We may even be able to help you out there as well.