[texastomeh]

O.K. guys; here's another silly Ford 390 FE question from a SBC guy gone bad.

I'm "rewiring" the 390 FE in a '63 T'Bird that I just acquired. In addition to the cylinders being numbered wrong and the distributor on the wrong end , the shop manual specifically depicts (and even has a warning note) that the #7 plug wire is to be routed over the valve cover between the #5 & #6 wire. All of the other wires are routed numerically sequential in correspondence to their respective cylinder arrangement.

Any of you 390 FE guys willing to share the reason?

texastomeh

[redsdad]

It has to do with the firing order and the potential for the one plug wire to induce a voltage in the wrong cylinder. It will cause a rough idle. I used to work tune up and electrical at a Ford dealership. I had a guy with a 390 (might have been a 360) pick-up. Always bringing it in with a miss. Sure enough, the wires were routed in numeric order. I would change it. It would run fine. Back in a week with the wires changed back and the miss. He didn't like the look of them being out of order. I think he ended up putting up with the miss. The price of beauty.

[texastomeh]

THANX RED!!!

You hit me right on the head with the; "...didn't like the look of them being out of order."

I see from the firing order that #8 fires immediately after #7, so what you are saying makes absolute sense!!!

texastomeh