Im thinking this out.. The #1 needs to be on the heel of the intake & exhaust cam lobes, which I can see visually, but I cannot see where the exact TDC is and do not trust the accuracy of the stock timing tab on the timng cover. Is getting the #1 on the heel of the intake/exhaust a good enough position to drop in the oil pump shaft?

Ok I have a compression tester so I should be able to screw it in to #1, take the gauge part off, and turn the engine until the piston stops blowing air out of the cylinder on the compression stroke. Any reason this wont work? I dont have a piston stop, and want to get this done today

EDIT: Or a 14mm bolt

you can trust the timing cover enough to get things going. by looking at the lobes you can tell roughly when cylinder 1 is at TDC. then go ahead and position the crank where cylinder 1 should be firing: 15 degrees BTDC or whatever. that is close enough. time the engine correctly after it is running.

by the manual, the slot should run parallel with the camshaft, but it doesn't matter. all that matters is that when the distributor is in place, it will be firing for cylinder #1. you can set the slot parallel, then drop your distributor in, and then set the plug wire sequence based off of the tower that the rotor is now pointing at.

although i've seen in the manual where it says that the slot should be parallel to the camshaft, i've never seen where it says which tower should be cylinder 1. it does depend on the distributor, and the position of the shaft to the rotor position, which i have found to be different on different distributors.

yes, this will work, but you don't need to be super accurate on this. once you know you are at TDC for the compression stroke, you are done. line things up with the balancer and tab on the timing cover and you are good to go. time it properly after it is running.

what you need to be accurate on is a) that the tower the rotor is contacting is cylinder #1, and b) that the plug wires after that are in the correct sequence.

when i take the distributor drive gear out i:

1) make a note of the position of the slot on the gear, (usually take a picture).
2) with a sharpie, mark the distributor and the block so i can drop it back in and the timing will be close.
3) make note of which tower is cylinder #1, so i know that if i'm messing with plug wires, i get it right, and can make sure the rotor is in the right position, and also so i don't drop the distributor in 180 degrees off.

The FSM calls for aligning the slot in the drive with the camshaft, I shoot for as close as I can get it so they align( so there parelel with each other) at TDC

I was able to actually see the piston from the spark plug hole. I turned the engine back abd forth and was able to visually got it right at tdc. When I looked at my timing tab and balancer and the 0 marks lined right up perfectly. Got the distributor gear installed parallel to the cam centerline. Im golden.

:)Take your time, you can do anything any one else on here can do

I would run an HV pump with those clearances.

Im gonna stick with the standard pump for now. How do you know you need a high volume pump? Is it solely on oil pressure?

Yes, post what you get for cold and hot idle numbers & at higher RPM's.

Oil pressure, hot at idle, should tell you. I think the factory idiot light turned on around 7 psi... but I like 20 at hot idle with a fresh engine. If its low, heavier oil and/or the HV pump can help. With .0023-.0025 clearances and full groove bearings, the HV pump and 15W40 oil got me there.

I street drive mine and did not want marginal lubrication if/when stuck in traffic. For a pure racecar, may not matter a much.