distributor installing into fresh 318

THINGS

1.......As pointed out earlier, not all distributor rotors point the same direction. This means you "pick a different hole" for number one, or you rattle the intermediate shaft around in there until you get the distributor to "point like you want." Personally, I just use a different hole

2......You must get the distributor in for no1 ready to fire and not the so called 180 off. There are TWO ways to do that

A.........Pull the no1 plug, rotate the engine until you start to feel compression, then watch the marks "coming up." Do NOT set them on TDC. Rather, set the marks (depending on your cam) about 10-12 BTC for a "stocker" or 12-15 or as much as 20 BTC for a "wilder" cam

Set the dist in, and rotate the dist. body to get the vacuum can "in a good spot." The rotor (small block) turns CW, and you want it "just at the corner" approaching whatever tower you are going to make no1

Rotate the dist CW, "retard." Slowly rotate the body advanced (CCW) until

a........If you have breaker points, the points just open

b.......If you have breakerless, until the reluctor tip is centered in the pickup coil

If you do this right, it will fire and start with no more fuss. You can also check initial timing "on the starter" using a light

B.......The other method of determining no1 on compression is if you have one or both valve covers off. Rotate the engine to TDC, and look at no1 and no6 valves. One pair will be "about equally" open, the other pair will be CLOSED. The closed pair is "ready to fire." You can either put the dist in for that cylinder, or if no6 is ready, rotate the crank one turn, and follow a, b, above.