[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

A catalytic converter glowing bright red would indicate a very rich air/fuel mixture, causing the converter to overheat trying to convert all the unburned fuel to water. Your friend should NOT have suggested you drive the vehicle in this condition, but instead should have suggested you check the ordering of the spark plug wires to see which ones you had going to the wrong plugs. If those are definitely correct, then make sure the MAF sensor is plugged in and all the air intake tubing is correct and securely attached. If that's good, then check for vacuum leaks.

There's a good chance that driving it with the rich condition caused the converter to melt internally, plugging the exhaust. Try disconnecting the exhaust from the manifold collector and see if the truck will start.

-Rod