Thinking you may be right Nowhere Man.

 

What do you guys do with all of the free time you save by typing "dizzy" instead of distributor?

 

If you don't have the bolt in the center of the crank, then you can have someone slowly bump the engine over while you have your finger in the #1 spark plug hole so you can locate TDC.
With that said, FIRST REMOVE THE COIL to Distributor wire and disconnect the + wire to the coil and put electrical tape over it. I would go ahead and kill all power to the ignition system since you keep seeing smoke. Keep clear of the fan while you are doing this!!!
Then I would do as Mike said and bump the car in gear(doesn't take much, just a quick bump of the key) or rock it until you get the timing mark set to 8 to 10 degrees advanced.
Once you have determined for sure that you distributor is installed correctly you can then start to chase down the electronic ignition system issues, if there are indeed any permanent issues. If you don't fix the distributor or verify it is in the correct position first, I am afraid you are going to end up chasing your tail for quite some time.

 

Burning wires have a quite a smell to them, what does your smoke smell like?
Try watching your amp meter while turning your key to run, not start. See if the meter pegs negative.

 

No, like the DeLorean in "Back To The Future"....
You're getting good advice here....

I'm a little perplexed by the smoke; if it isn't fuel misting out of the backfiring engine and it doesn't smell electrical (you'll know it if it is) I'm at a loss as to what it could be... If your ballast resistor is new and had some type of protective coating on it I guess it could be that burning off - don't know...

But, I'm thinking its time to quit dicking around and put points back in the car; and give it a go...

 

I disconnected the Coil- to Crane module effectively taking (I think) power out of the module. Took the "distributor" cap off and disconnected the coil to "distributor" lead. Connected the Neg battery cable and without bumping the motor noticed the wispy white smoke from behind the distributor; looking like it's concentrated in the firewall hollow for the wiper motor. Could this be migrating upwards from the starter? The car faces into the garage door and with a breeze it's hard to say where it started from. I only see it at the rear of the dizzy/front of wiper motor. I'm going this alone so I can't be in 2 places at once and going from side to side doesn't tell me where it's originating from. No smell of burning wires, heat or anything. Before I dick around with anything, i need to find the source of this smoke.

 

Anybody ever see one backfire like that and shoot a puff of smoke out around the block rear crank breather?

 

I have not and I would think that smoke would be blue.
He is also getting the smoke withOUT bumping the engine in this last test. (edited)

The backfiring and white smoke make me suspicious of an intermittent short in some ignition wire. Prob the wind (as noted) and turning off the car quickly is preventing the electrical smell.

 

Spike66.....maybe your engine rebuilder could be of some help, or, at least post your location and maybe there is a forum member nearby that might feel charitable with his/her time.

 

After all the aggregation and everything you're tried (you may be doing more harm than good) personally, I'd either see if your mechanic can come to you or have the car brought to him. My .02

Gary

 

I thought post #47 could be pretty productive.

I have stayed out on purpose as it appears you have taken over by telling him to put his points back in. I knew that was coming but why not find out if his "widget" is breaking the coil circuit before you go to all that trouble? (edited)
Looks like everyone is ignoring post #44 which is where I would start. If you can smell the insulation burning (and you CAN if it is) then you have a short. Otherwise, I'd suspect some kind of cleaning fluid vaporizing off the starter motor. The only thing down by the starter to cause a short when you crank the engine is the purple wire and if it's shorted, chances are the starter won't work.

This is a typcical, "help, my car won't start" Pertronix type thread and the problem may actually have nothing to do with what is breaking the coil circuit because is hasn't been checked.

 

Just a thought this guy just had the engine dyno tested don't they use a special lube that still could be coming out of bottom of dizzy

 

If the motor was dyno tested, then it has already been running for the equivalent of at least a few miles, so the smoke is not normal. Some smoke out of an open vacuum port after a backfire is normal but if I understand correcty he is getting smoke as soon as he energizes the ignition?? This is NOT normal but if it's caused by something electrical and it was enough to generate smoke then you WILL smell it, and there is no reasonable explanation for it to be coming from under the dash. If it were me, I would first look closely at all the connections, especially the positive cable and starter wires. I would disconnect the power to the distributor and make sure the engine cranks without issue OR SMOKE or determine the source of the smoke. Assuming there is no smoke or the source is found, I would then rough in the distributor as described above (keeping in mind that you can be on TDC on the balancer and still be 180 degrees out) and then check for spark but with a helper or a remote starter switch so you can observe what's going on when it cranks. If at this point you have spark & fuel but it does not start, rotate the distributor slightly in each direction until it fires (KEEP YOUR FACE AWAY FROM THE CARB). If it does not catch or only backfires excessively then the distributor is way off or wires are crossed.

 

While I've got yer attention, look at #55 also.

 

I'm sure the OP finds multiple posters quibbling among themselves to be very helpful............

 

Lol

 

You're right Gary, I'm at a point where this is above my knowledge base.
But I'm trying to dope this out. The smoke has got me dead in the water; I can't find the source. I could probably get the dizzy in close enough to fire and then use a light to dial it in but i can't get past this smoke.

 

Back on topic, please clarify, was the key in the on position when the smoke started just after connecting the neg. cable?

 

So, I wasted plenty of time editing this thread because I think the OP would like some help in a frustrating problem. It would have been easier to close the thread, but let's try this once.

Most of the posts by various members that were quibbling or quotes of quibbling (say that 3 times fast) or answers to quibbling or otherwise not related to the question at hand have been removed or edited. If you had a post that had a nugget of value and it got swallowed by other stuff, well, sorry.

From this point onward, please make posts related to the topic at hand and nothing else, including the higher question of whether Pertronix is Satan's Spawn or not. Please leave all the personal conflict out too.

Also, at least one member asked aloud how to block another member. It is very simple to access your Control Panel (top left toolbar in your profile) and then add someone to your Ignore list. This is a skill that several members should consider. Here's a screenshot for your convenience.

 

Ok. A little housecleaning .... Thank you Mr. Moderator.

Back on topic. Let's forget about the smoke. I need step by step instructions for the reinstallation of the dizzy. To clarify my situation:
I have totally lost track of my original marks for what I thought was correct placement. I have no driveshaft. I have no bolt on the harmonic balancer. Everything is bolted on the motor. I don't know how to turn the motor other than bumping the ignition. I couldn't get my hands on the balancer to wipe it let alone turn the engine and trans assemblies. I can find what I feel is TDC on #1 but close is all. I don't know how to get to 8 degrees after finding TDC. I've read Lars' tome and don't get it. Spark plug wires are correct. It turns over and wants to start but just won't catch. It's getting fuel. In plain English for someone who isn't an automotive savant, can someone walk me thru thru the procedure?