Mike,
This way,
Take all the spark plugs out so you're not fighting compression, and turn the engine clockwise from the front by turning the fan blades. Watch the last two valve springs back by the firewall. You'll see the last valve start to open (compressing the spring), then it will begin closing again. Just as that spring reaches its full-closed position, the second spring from the back will begin to compress. At this point, #6 cylinder has just finished its exhaust stroke. The #1 cylinder will be at the top of the compression stroke, ready to fire the spark plug. Install the distributor with the rotor pointing toward the #1 plug wire and turn the distributor housing clockwise until the points are closed, then rotate the housing CCW until the points just barely open, and lock the dizzy down at that point. The spark timing will be set close enough to start the engine. Even if the flywheel happens to be installed wrong, this method works. The only possible way to have problems is if the camshaft timing is incorrect, with the timing marks for the crank and cam gears out of alignment. Once it's warmed up, minor spark timing adjustments can be made to get it running smoothly. No oil, no mess, and it works every time. Just be sure the tang at the bottom of the distributor shaft is fully seated in the oil pump drive as you install the dizzy.
