Right side of motor is passenger side. Left side of motor is drivers side. #1 is on passenger side of engine. The passenger side cylinders are 1,2,3,4 front to back. Drivers side clyinders are 5,6,7,8 front to back. It really sounds like you are off by one cylinder on trying to stab the distributor. Bring it up to tdc on the timimg mark go to number 1 cylinder and take a piece of wire and feel in the spark plug hole you can tell where the piston is at.

 

Ok one way to tell if you are on the compression stroke is to pull the plug, and put your finger over the hole, and bump it with the starter till it starts to push your finger (and I mean just bump it a little at a time either by having someone do it with the key not recommended or crossing the starter soilinoid,) then turn it by hand to tdc or you can pull the rocker cover watch the intake valve when it closes the piston is on it's way upto compression stroke of tdc then turn to that point, and no you won't be able to tell if the timing chain slipped unless you have a degree wheel on it.

 

hey monster, that sig reminds me of a sign im hanging up in the shop i work in, it goes like this:

We do three types of jobs,
Good, quick, and cheap...
A good cheap job aint quick,
A good quick job aint cheap,
A quick cheap job aint good...

 

an easy way to check the timing set would be to take the dizzy cap off and spin the motor, if it takes more than 3° to make the rotor turn, then there is too much play in the timing set and it needs to be changed

 

You crank the engine over with #1 plug out and your finger in the plug hole. When you come up on the compression stroke, your finger will move or at least air will blow by it. Use your stick to find TDC. Mark the damper for zero (TDC use chalk or a colored marker, I prefer yellow). Take a peice of paper and measure the timing mark on the damper (10 and 30 degees at least) and transfer those measurements to your new TDC. Install dist. after you move the motor to 10 degrees BTDC (TDC is too retarded). Should start and run, if not pull and check your timing chain and the key on the damper.

 

Finally, and I do mean finally got the big 4-6-0 running.
Earlier today I did what I just now read in Bear's post...
Found top of piston stroke, re-marked balancer, pointed the dizzy @ #1 plug. And she fired up decently! (And it also helped when I plugged the 1/2 hole in my intake manifold-duh!) There was a 1/2 threaded hole just below the back of my carb, my intake has a bit of a high rise to it, so of course I missed it.
Told ya I was a "flaming idiot". I still have to transfer the timing marks, and re-time it, check the power valve on my Holley, (many backfires) and then tune the carb etc... Since I had to bend the kick-down rod to fit my carb and intake, it shifts at a high rpm, and with quite a solid kick as well.
When I did a test run, running in 2nd and waiting and listening for a shift to 3rd, so I wasnt payin attention to mph's. When I hit about 4500 rpms and it shifted to 3rd I finally saw that I was doing 65! Wow, the single plane intake and 750cfm carb really kick the snot out it, and was beofre I even have it dialed in. Thanks to everyone for there opinions and help with this... saga.
And yes, I did a gratuitous burnout in honor of the folks of FTE... Barca.

 

Good to heard you got it. We learn somrthing new everyday.

 

AWESOME........sweet sweet victory

 

Hello barca, I wanted to thank you for the entertainment. I read this entire post with amusement and memories. I did the same thing 50 years ago. I have seen my kids and my grandkids do it as well. so you are in great company. This is the way we learn. It is the hard way but it is a good teacher. Godd luck and keep pounding away at it.

 

good to hear you got her going!!! 1/2" unplugged vacuum port? maybe you didnt have a timing issue in the first place, thats one big vacuum leak.....is your PCV hooked up, that is generally what that port is used for.........

 

Yea that kinda happened to me once...but it was a coolant port on the manifold...the guy i got my motor from used duct tape to seal up all of the port holes for shipment...so after i dropped the motor in i was in the process of filling the radiator...i put 4 gallons of coolant in with no sweat, checking periodically for leaks as i went...then when i was topping it off I noticed that antifreeze was just puddled up all over the aluminum manifold...my eyes got so big when i thought i had a major leak...i jumped up on the bumper of my truck to look closer as to where it was comming from and noticed when the truck bounced from me jumping on it that the antifreeze was coming from under a small peice of duct tape...silver duct tape matches perfectly with an aluminum manifold...oh the little things.

Keith