72 360 first start question

that's a lot of info! so the way I've always found TDC is to manually turn the engine over until #1 piston comes to it's highest point mark it on the balancer and then turn the engine reverse direction until it happens again, mark it. true TDC is halfway between those two marks. That's how pop's showed me and it's always seemed to work. If i am at TDC and i pull the dist./oil drive gear and drop them back in again pointing at #1 plug I should be good as far as a starting point correct? Vac. leaks are definitely a possibility. it'll run if i keep the throttle on but the second i let off the juice it croaks. thanks.