360 Rebuild for 1974 Swinger

moper said

The end play is controlled by the retaining plate. Just slide the cam forward, and if you have to wedge a pry bar behind one of the cam bearing journals...
eyeball line up the keyway and slip the gear on the cam, then use the rounded washer and bolt to pull the gear on the rest of the way. That is by design a tight fit. So you can pull it on or use the oven to expand it and then try again. Don’t hammer it, and don’t file it to make it fit more loose.

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Thanks to everyone for the tips, I ended up shoving a rubber fuel line in between the distributor gear and the rear of the engine, that allowed me to get the timing chain on with a little lube and some whacks of my fist, no hammer. It's all on now, #1 TDC, gears are lined up dot to dot with a straight edge through the middle of the cam shaft and crank shaft.
Now I need to source a better timing cover. I hadn't cleaned up the old one and just put it in the parts cleaner and started scraping of the old gasket and grease inside and out. And, it's cracked. So, now I'm shopping for a replacement. I have a couple of guys here locally I'll try after the holidays.