how to correctly route spark plug cables

[67rcks]

I see often pretty engine bays with spark plug cables routed exactly as they supposed to be. There's quite a lot of combinations to figure it out. I have 8 OE Autolite cables in the box of different length let's say 1=shortest, 8=longest. Which cable goes to which cylinder?
Firing order 15426378, I have no. 1 cylinder at ~1-2 o'clock position on the distributor.

 

[j69302]

Starting from the passenger side front, is goes CYL # 1 2 3 4, driver side front, 5 6 7 8.

The distributor rotates counter clockwise, so the wire to the left of #1 wire on the distributor should go to cyl #5, then so on and so forth following your firing order.

RADIATOR
5 1
6 2
7 3
8 4

 

[2+2GT]

There's a factory-specified routing trick you must use on the LH side, and I've seen fancy show cars that got this wrong. This photo is correct, so look closely:

 

[67rcks]

2+2 are you sure this photo is correct? Reading on the distributor from left, you fire 7, then 8, then passenger side, then 6, pass. side, then 5?

 

[2+2GT]

On a 289 engine, the right side plugs are 1-2-3-4, the left side plugs are 5-6-7-8. On a 289, the firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8. The #1 wire on the distributor is pointed toward the brake master cylinder. Notice the routing of the #7 wire, how it is separated from #8. This is correct. On the RH side, the wires run side by side, in order. If you do that on the left, the #7 wire can induce a spark in the #8 wire just as it's coming up on the compression stroke. This would be detrimental to performance, so Ford separated them.

The engine in that photo was running the day after that photo was taken.

 

[BIGDATOWN]

You also need to note that any high performance wire, that they NEVER need to cross paths, as they can cause spark jumping alot easier then you think.

 

[67rcks]

Well I did not say I have duraspark II (wide cap) and air cleaner really close to the distrbutor. This means that wire no. 5 is closest to the air cleaner, on the passenger side, and I could not route it nicely around no. 1 wire, wthout making large U bend. There is also vacuum actuator in the way. Will post photo. I don't see any sparks arcing, maybe problem of a cheap cables.

 

[2+2GT]

Looking forward to the photo.

Look for sparks in the dead of night, with no street lights.