225 not firing on all 6

This has been bugging me for a while, now, and I need help. I swapped in a stock '68 225 Dauntless (with points) into my Flattie. I freshened it up with new timing gear and gaskets (no bearings, cylinder work, or head work). When I got it, it ran well (although it had an even fire rotor). Now after the overhaul, it seems to only be firing on cylinders 1, 3, and 5. The passenger side exhaust manifold is cold. I've been searching and reading here, and I'm not 180 out. I verified this with a vac/pressure gauge on the #1 cylinder and with the old "rush of air" test, too. I've got new plugs, wires, cap rotor, points, condenser, and coil. I've checked and doubled checked, and the wires are in proper firing order. Plugs are gapped to .40. Dwell was guess-timated with a doubled-over business card. The dist is odd fire, with different spaced lobes.

The thing is, above idle it all seems to clear up and run well. But it idles poorly and stumbles severely when the throttle is progressively applied.

Where should I go from here?

 

I'd beg, borrow or steal another 225 distributor
classic signs of wrong distributor when one bank is not firing
my 0.2 worth

 

I feel your pain.

It does sound like the wrong dist... realy wierd.
You might have the right cap but wrong dist. body...

I had a brand new cap once that was cracked and it did that..
It sounds as though every other cylinder doent fire something isnt matching.
Again only thing left is maybe wrong dist. if the cap is indeed right???

 

But the dist has the unevenly spaced lobes (so it's indeed an od-fire dist), and a new odd-fire rotor...so is it a function of clocking the rotor to a different plug wire? "Phase" and "sequence" are often brought up with HEI related problems...what about points?

On that note, the PO had replaced the original timing gear at some point, so it is possible that the dist got stabbed in there wrong.

 

if your basic checks on TDC, static timing, compression and firing order all check out, it points to the distibutor, for whatever the reason.
something is out of whack with the lobes: duration, spacing, height, etc.
In my opinion, the easiest thing to do is swap in a good known unit and make sure the engine runs okay; then figure the other unit out later if you want to.
This particular problem always seems to show up only with the delco distributor FWIW.

 

Yep...

The dist. itself not the cap or rotor may be a evenfire dist....

You also mention HEI and Points so I am not sure what you have as the HEI does not have points.

Anyway it would seem you have a miss match set of parts.

And the easiest answer would be to try a different one. ( Dist.)

Also if you took it to a garage they will figure it out real quick

 

As stated, it is indeed an OF points distrib.

I mentioned "Phase" and "Sequence" because those are common problem with an HEI swap. I was wondering if points distribs have those problems, too. After all, it's still an OF distrib we're talking about.

 

It is possible to have the firing order correct and the plug wires out of phase. I tried to point the vacume advance pot on my dad's 71 CJ5 in a more desireable direction. so I rotated it a little bit and moved the plug wires one position on the cap. end result was correct timing on one bank and way off on the other. It still went down the road and idled. but idled rough started harder and missed under medium and hard acceleration.