I initially wanted to keep my '48 "rabbit ear" distributor original too. I spent literally hours trying to fit eight sparkplug wires, plus the distributor wire, through the ears into the cap. I get that Ford was trying to moisture proof the distributor, but I also think the two part system was a questionable design. I don't know why the ears could not have been made wider to better accommodate the wiring. But even then, all the wires still have to bend like 150 degrees back to pop into the cap. I finally gave up and took someone's suggestion to change to the earlier crab style cap. I like that it's flatter against the engine and super easy to work with.