Where should the distributor point, when the motor is at tdc on the compression stroke? Should it point at #1 cylinder or #2 on the block? I've always placed it pointing at number 1 but the assembly manual said #8. Why are older motors different? This is for a 1969 350. Does it matter as long as its pointed at #1 plug wire?

 

I have mine set up so No.1 is pointing directly at the back of the carb. Just as an easy reference point if i ever pull the dizzy.

 

you can make 1 anywhere you want.
just make sure the dist housing can have full timing adjustment and the tach cable is aligned properly.

wire sets may or may not make the position of number 1 per the
AIM.

 

That's what confused me. The AIM says it should be pointed at the #2 cylinder. When I checked on line it showed 67-69 pointed at #2 cylinder , then 75-93 pointed at #1 cylinder. Both having the same firing order. Why is it different?

 

HEI distributors were introduced in '75. They are a little different from points style distributors that were used in '74 and prior years.

 

I believe most Chevys have 1 and 2 towards the front of the engine.
But with a tach drive, the orientation changes somewhat to facilitate the routing of the tach cable.
As others have said, as long as you follow the firing order, #1 terminal on the cap can be anywhere, depending on how you stab the distributor.

 

Should I point it at #2 or doesn't it matter as long as its pointing at #1 plug wire?

 

Thanks for the help!!! I'm not the greatest with timing. Lol

 

There is no 'fixed' reference point on a distributor. If the engine is set to the #1 piston at TDC on the compression stroke, you can drop the dizzy in any position you choose. Then you can find where the rotor points and place the #1 wire in that position and order the rest of them around the dizzy appropriately.

That may not be the answer you expected....but that's the way it is.

GM chose to aim the distributor vacuum can toward the right side of the car...so that it didn't interfere with other hardware and so that clear access to it was available. GM also came up with a 'standard convention' for the location for the #1 plug wire on the distributor. And that's why everyone has so much trouble getting it set up correctly. We all attempt to follow GM's formula for how to position and wire the Corvette distributor.

But, then, that darned tach drive cable gets to much of a bend in it when the dizzy is set up with the 'standard convention' method. Thus, began the highly acclaimed shift of the #1 plug wire to the adjacent fitting.

So, there's the stock GM method....the "one-spot-shift" that many folks use to relieve tension on the tach drive cable...and, the "put it wherever you please" approach. Any and all will work--if done properly.

 

Check the AIM page again. Read the note about the stake marks on the manifold and the distributor. Aligning the stake marks indexes the distributor.

 

1968 NOM BB tripower. Bubba def found my distributor. No vacuum advance can plus other issues. When I added the can the lowest I could get the timing was 24 degrees advance without the can hitting the firewall. I wanted to get Number One as close to" factory" as possible. Had to pull the distributor and index it one tooth. Number One location may be influenced by clearance issues of the can, as well as the tack drive cable. When I was all done mine was pretty close to what the AIM indicated.

 

read this and in particular the section on C3 distributors

http://www.corvette-restoration.com/...stallation.pdf

 

On HEI distributors the #1 position is set counterclockwise from the suggested point distributors it either one or two positions.

 

Actually, you can "index" the distributor as little as 1/2 of one drive gear tooth!!! How, you ask? Well, the drive gear at the bottom of the dizzy has an 'odd' number of teeth. So, you can remove it and rotate it 180* from its original position, then re-pin it to the dizzy shaft.

If moving the dizzy one full tooth won't work for you, there's a way to reduce the amount of movement required.