Take out the cylinder 1 plug, put your finger on the hole and turn the engine by hand, you'll feel pressure build up when you're on the compression stroke. Then align the timing marks. The distributor rotor should point to a notch in the housing and that's where the #1 plug wire goes.

 

I was sitting out there cursing at this truck and wondering why it will not start. Started trying to identify TDC, and then had the thought that maybe somehow I might have messed up the spark plug wires. Traced them out and they were in the right order. CURSE!

Then, I had an epiphany, maybe I somehow got them one spot rotated off. (who know's how I did this, changing them one at a time) But I moved them all one spot over, said a prayer and she fired right up. Runs great. Drives....like a 180,000 mile truck. No CEL....yet.

You guys are the best. I couldn't have done this without you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you're ever in Utah and having a surgery, I'll do the anesthetic for free.

 

Good to hear you git it running (why is there no thumbs up icon ?). I remember decades ago I put in plug wires on a transversal front engine VW. I put them on in the reverse order because the distributor is directly attached to the camshaft at the back of the engine so it rotates counterclockwise. Two cylinders worked and two didn't....

One thing I noticed in the pics of the plenum is that the gasket is pushed to the outside. That seems counterintuitive as the plenum has vacuum and the crankcase typically has pressure from blow by. I wonder if that was the result of a backfire.