I always pull #1 plug and stick my finger over the hole and manualy turn the motor until I feel compression. I then stick a small screw driver in the hole and keep rotating until the piston is all the way to the top. I then align the distributer to where I want #1 to be and align the oil pump. I turn the distributer backwards about a tooth and drop it in. Works evey time. Oh, check your order too. 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2 every SBC or BBC! Good Luck