2002 s10 wont run after new distributor install

[wlf89]

got a call from a buddy this morning wanting me to install a new dist. after his had started making alot of noise. took the cap and and it had alot of slop in it, so went to oreillys and got a new dist. assembly i marked where the rotor was pointing and raised it up and marked it after it spun.
dropped the new one in but the oil pump didnt engage fully so i turned the motor with ratchet untill it dropped down, went to crank it and it just grunted and struggled to turn over like it was out of time.

so i pulled the dist back out and put it on top dead center, atleast i think so. i dont see no timing tab on the engine like in the picture that i attached. but i have the first balancer mark on the ridge on timing cover and can feel the 2nd mark up where the tab shows to be on the pic. i confirmed that it was the compression stroke by putting finger over the #1 plug hole. reinstalled the dist and does the same thing.

for giggles i aligned the 2nd balancer mark with the timing cover ridge #1 and 3 on the pic, the truck cranked right up and idled good so i took it back to my buddy, on the way once i got on the highway and around 45mph it would have a shutter to it, would go away when i accelerated. i thought maybe that was just a already existing problem, but he called and told me that the truck wasnt idling right and was shuttering pretty bad. he drove it back here to the house and it died as he pulled it into the shop from rough idling.

any help on what i am doing wrong? any and all help is appreciated. thanks in advance.