Its much simpler to rotate the dist. drive gear than it sounds.
I guess when I say these things I think of all the 90K + milers I've run into where --oh like--fer instance--ever worked on an Olds where you had to use a damn slide hammer to get the distributor OUT of the engine?
Or it's so crudded up you had to use a backhow to dig a nest for the dist. to seat back down IN?
Ever seen one so bad the LIFTERS would not come out?
This kind of thing, b'lieve me, puts a whole new slant on "walking the drive gear."
THIS IS A TRUE STORY (I digress) One time a Lt JG came into the auto shop with a late 60s Ferd 390 barely running. New cap, rotor, points, plugs, wires.
First thing I see is that the points are BARELY opening, in fact they aren't opening on all cylinders.
Second thing is that someone previously had dropped a points screw down inside, and destroyed the mechanical advance, so no mechanical advance.
Third thing is the vacuum advance can was popped, so no VACUUM advance
AND he'd installed the plug wires THE WRONG ROTATION around the cap, so it was fireing on TWO cylinders plus crossfiring on I don't know what else
1. points barely opening
2. no mechanical advance
3. no vacuum advance
4. plug wires all wrong except two
HOW DID THIS THING GET HERE? I asked him.
And speakin' of Ford FE's, I used to find a fair number of 'em on which the balancer had slipped. Quite often, you'd find me rocking the crank to feel for cam drive wear, or using a piston stop to check the timing marks. I HATE phenolic top sprockets.