I am getting ready to change out the distributor and would like someone to confirm 2 questions:
[ol][*]Are the timing marks aligned correctly - I changed out the timing chain to an Edelbrock (stock one had about a 1/2" slop) - I rolled the crank around until the marks were aligned exactly as you see it in the picture and then I put the Edelbrock timing chain on the exact same position?[*]Am I at TDC - I took all the spark plugs out of the engine and turned it with a ratchet and my finger in the #1 spark plug hole- I turned it until there was air pushing out pretty strongly on my finger and finished rotating the marks around until they aligned - I think I am at TDC here and this would be where I should take out the old distributor and put the new one in with the rotor pointing toward #1 right??[/ol]
Thanks, I always get nervous dealing with timing on cars[]

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Is there a dot on the crankshaft sprocket?

 

yep and it is right over the retaining pin piece - I put it on the "stock" setting, there are 2 other marks on the crankshaft for advancing or retarding but I went with the neutral setting. What says ye?

 

btw, sweeeeeet engine pic

 

As long as you're lined up dot to dot and from everything else you described your ready to go.




And thank youfor the complement.

 

Thanks almost stock!!!!

A question on the distributor install - the attached pic shows the Mallory HEI distributor that I am going to install next to the old Mallory dual point distributor - how do I make sure the distributor goes in correctly with the teeth on the cam sprocket correctly? I was thinking to put the distributor cap on and mark the body of the distributorwhere the rotor cap is pointed now - then I install the distributorandmake sure the rotor is still lined up with the mark on the body of the distributor - do you think this will work? My concern is that I might be a few teeth off when I put the new distributor in and it won't fire correctly. If I put it in and I am off a tooth or so, is it readily noticable? Thanks

 

forgot the pic

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You can do it with the rotor on the new dizzy pointing the same way as the old one, and align the cap the same way, ie the rotor should be pointing at the number 1 terminal(or whichever has the plug going to number 1). Also, before you button it up you may wanna turn it over by hand several times to make sure you have piston/valve clearance, and degree the cam....the marks on sprockets aren't always accurate

 

If you have the #1 piston set at TDC(as you stated earlier) and if the rotor is pointing to the #1 plug wire and you know for a fact it's on the compression stroke then that is where the dist needs to be pointing .
You may have to rotate the dist some so that the oil pump shaft goes into the bottom of the dist for everything to line up.
It may take 2 or possible 3 tries to get the dist rotor pointing exactly to the #1plug wire, you might even have to rotate the engine ever so slightly to get everything to line up exactly, but eventually you'll get it on the #1plug.

 

I flipped it over to put the oil pan and the piston in the 1st cylinder is at the top of the stroke so Ishould be at TDC. I looked at the Chilton manual andwhen viewed from the back,thespark plug connectionat"7:00" was shaded dark asif it was #1- strange because my rotor is pointed at aboutat "2:30". I should be at TDC right TDC?