I cannot get this engine to run right

Peaked inside the distributor before I went to bed and what fresh hell is this. Yeah they replaced it with an electronic ignition setup, and the lobes are gone so I'm pretty sure I can't put points back in it...

correct cam shaft is one thing, correct firing order is different., and I think that is what MW is driving at.   You can confirm your firing order by rotating the crank and feeling which order the cylinders get their compression stroke in.    This is the most common error that is easily over looked, assuming the cylinders are numbered differently than they are can be a contributing factor.   did you rebuild the carb? or is it the same condition as previously set?    if so, and you suspect a fuel problem, yank the carb and get it cleaned up and rebuilt.    If you did t he engine by yourself, a carb should be no problem as long as you pay attention to the little details.    Carb kits are less than $100 so it is a relatively cheap fix if that is the issue

also a good reminder - #1 on the distributor cap doesnt have a specific place, as long as it lines up with th position of the rotor on the compression stroke of cyl # 1, check the direction that the rotor rotates and follow that direction with your firing order.

- you need to set up your carb idle with a vacuum guage, have you done that yet?   

- cam break in is really important, so you want to get everything set before you run the engine for the first 20 mins.    you need to run consistantly at +2000 rpm.    and you want to get the oil pressure up first so you don't have a dry start.

- can you confirm your compression now, after the rebuild?    if a cam lobe is wiped out from a poor start, it could cause the crappy running condition as well.    

I find that talking through something can help me find the issue, so go ahead and walk us through all that you have checked and how you checked it, we may be able to spot your oversight and point you in the right direction.    

Keep your chin up, this happens to everyone from time to time

Is there even a slight chance that the wrong cam was used?
Reverse rotation?
More common, there are 2 commonly used Ford small block firing orders.

1979 Correct Craft Mustang 17 Commander 302
Holley 4160
Holley Red (Marine grade) set at 5psi
'electronic point' conversion (previous owner installed, no idea what brand)

Engine is fresh, literally 0 hours on it. Everything has been checked, rechecked, and triple checked. I had issues with it running like crap down low before I rebuilt it, I tossed it up to the fact that I had 50-60% leakdown on all 8 cylinders at 100psi.   

I can unplug cylinders 5, 6, 2, 3 and it barely makes a difference to how the engine runs. I honestly feel like it's a carb issue but I'm confused as hell because I was meticulous rebuilding it, and if it has me confused that it's cylinders 2 and 3, and not 1 and 2.

I honestly have no idea where to go at the moment. I'm so used to sequential fuel injection and coil on plug builds that I am beating my head against the wall because this should be simple. I'm going to do another leakdown test tomorrow, I have to get an adapter though because my plug wont fit in GT40p heads.

Edit:
I really do feel like it's a carb issue though because I cannot get the idle screws to react in any way. I never could before I rebuilt the carb, I never could before I rebuilt the engine, I still can't.