i have a 1967 ford mustang with the 289 in it and recently changed the plugs and the wires and the points and the cap and rotor and now it is missing really missing and i have tried adjusting the timing and nothing happened and and at first i thought thtat it was my ignitor but i put my points back in and same things it idles so rough and practically dies when i put it into gear what should i be looking for

 

double check your timing order on the plugs/wires. when you set the timing did you remove and plug the vac advance? what brand/type of plugs are you using. also check the plug wires at night to see if they are arcing to each other. getting seperators will fix that issue.

 

In my 66 mustang, after I replaced it with new spark plug wires and spark plugs, I accidently swapped two spark plug wires on the distributer. The car ran like as if it was missing. You might want to get a Haynes manual or look up on the internet the correct pattern for the spark plug wires for the distributer. Also, you might want to make sure that the spark plug wires are firmly seated on the distributer and spark plugs.

 

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Melchiah, if the wires turn out to be installed in the correct order on the cap and are on the correct plugs, I would double check the points. Make sure they're gapped correctly, and that they're clean. When installing new points it's a good idea to drag a little clean paper between them to remove any traces of oil that might be on the contact surfaces. Check the wire that runs from the coil, through the side of the distributor and to the points to make sure it's not cracked and intermittantly shorting out as well as the wire to the condensor. You did replace that as well, right? They do go bad.

Try running it at night in pitch darkness and look under the hood for any flashes of spark that would indicate any arcing problems such as Kemicalburns described.

And it's really easy to switch out those points for electronic ignition, such as a Pertronics unit which installs totally inside the distributor and doesn't show, if originalty is important to you. The stock Duraspark unit as installed on '75 and up Fords is really an excellent system and can be swapped in very easily and cheaply and there are plenty of other good aftermarket units available depending on your budget.

 

Check #'s 7 & 8 wires. They are the 2 that most folks get reversed since they are in order in the cap. Also, make sure they aren't running beside one another and cross-firing from one to the other...one of the reasons I lile the Windsor firing order better.

Like TigerDan said, run it in total darkness and look for the wires to be leaking fire. Even new wires if they are the el cheapos are bad about this.