Here is what I would do just to assure myself I am at tdc for starting. First, use the bb as the standard. Trace your No. 1 plug wire from the plug to the cap. Put a vertical chalk or paint mark on the body of the distributor directly under the center of the no. 1 plug wire tower on the cap.
Next, remove the plugs, and rotate the motor by hand until you feel compression coming out of the number one spark plug hole. Now slowly rotate a little more and line up the bb with the pointer.
Next, wipe the distributor pad and octane selector clean. Find the hash mark on the pad, and the 0 mark on the selector. Loosen the bolt and line them up. Tighten the bolt down.
Take off the cap. You want the rotor pointing exactly at the chalk mark you made earlier. If it’s not, loosen the screw and adjust it to get to the mark. That is close enough to get started, but if you want to get closer, look at the point rubbing block and see if it’s on the highest point of the lobe. Make a minor correction if required. Now, reset the point gap. I might consider replacing the condenser.
With that accomplished, I would feel pretty confident that the distributor is correctly set for an initial start up.
Last edited by Dragsix; 12/16/2023 1:12 AM.
