ok i know what you are saying about the compression and exhaust stroke but how do i know which stroke is which just by placing my finger over the #1 plug hole. since there will be comporession on both strokes, couldnt i just turn the engine over until the timing mark on the balancer and the cover are lined up?also have you heard about the #6 and #8 stamped inside the distributor under the cap? i tried pointing the rotor at #1 cylinder when it was at TDC and the engine would not fire at all. please tell me exactly how to set my timing from dropping the distributor in to starting it up? now also this distributor cannot be turned once in place because it has a tab and roll pin that stop it from rotating. i am not stupid but just frustrated with this thing. thanks much anyone