Distributor & TDC, timing cover replace....

[sick472]

Originally Posted by ellisjay2

Would rotating crank to match up post with cap not work?

If I understand your question...the answer is "no". You need to have the #1 piston at TDC on the compression stroke. Then you have to install the dizzy so that the rotorbug points to a wire post with the cap on (at least very close). That post will be for your #1 wire. If you turn your crank off of 0° (otherwise know as TDC) you will have lined up the rotorbug with the post, but you are no longer at TDC and the timing will be off. So long as the rotor bug is pointing within a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the wire post...you can rotate the dizzy to get it to point right at the post (given you have room to rotate the dizzy and not let the vac can hit anything). If that's not possible, you will have to pull the dizzy back out and rotate it the proper way by lining up the oil shaft and skipping a tooth or two on the cam. It looks like you have plenty of room in your pic to do any rotating to allow the rotorbug to line up with a wire post. Line it up with any post that is convenient and call that post #1...Then follow the firing order around the top of the dizzy with the proper wires. It should look similar to this...