setting timing on a 350 chevy engine.

[Street Fighter]

Have done this over 100 times years ago but age have away of taking anything you don't stay on top of. my question is this once you get the # 1piston all the way up do you move the timing mark to zero? do the rotor have to be pointing at the #1spark plug in order to say it's now timed or can you have the rotor pointing to the left or where ever just as long as you use the location of the rotor as #1? I haven't done this in 8yrs.

[pajeff02]

You want to pretty much have the rotor pointing to the No. 1 plug wire when the timing marks are aligned and the No. 1 piston is at TDC.

[mrr23]

you can have the rotor pointing to anywhere you want. being 90* spacing, it makes no difference other than plug wire lengths being the limitation. i put the timing mark on 0* look at where the rotor is pointing and get that tower as close to it as possible. start it up and finish with timing light.

[Mr_Rich]

It helps a bit to know the year of Chevy engine you're asking about. Typically on a Chevy in the classic era we would have the vacuum can pointing forward between six and seven o'clock position. Number one spark plug wire is at the seven o'clock position and they run clockwise from there. On a Chevy like the one in my '89 truck I set the dist. so the ignition mod plugs in at the 3 o'clock position and the number one starts at the seven o'clock position and they run clockwise from there. And of course, this is with the number one piston at TDC as mentioned previously. Tune from there. That's the way I've done it.