i did use the method u put up when i had the timing cover off i lined up my dots , put a piston stop in # 6 and spun the motor with a compression gauge in #1. I then placed my distributor in pointing to # 1 when i thought i was right about at tdc.
the # piston must be at tdc , then the distributor rotor must be pointing at #1 plug wire on cap, or the drivers side front intake bolt.
The early a bodies have the timing marks on the passenger side of the cover, while 70 and up have the marks on the driver side on the front cover.
be sure of what you hav, though when you say that you've not installed the timing tap...leads me to believe you have the correct early timging cover and dampener, though most dampeners have the tdc mark for both early/late versions.fwiw