Where is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 on 1986 302 Ford engine and which way does the distributor turn?

The "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8" firing order on a 1986 302 Ford engine refers to the order the spark plugs fire. It's not a physical location on the engine itself.

The firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8. This is the sequence the cylinders ignite. You'll need to find the #1 cylinder to establish the rest using this sequence.

To find the #1 cylinder on a 1986 302, look for the timing cover on the front of the engine. #1 cylinder is typically towards the front of the engine and on the passenger side (right side in a right-hand drive vehicle). You'll want to verify this visually with your engine. Then use the firing order to locate the rest of the cylinders in relation to #1. You can find diagrams online to aid in this.

Distributor Rotation: The distributor on a 1986 302 Ford engine rotates counter-clockwise when viewed from the top.