Hey, I couldn't start my 318 85 earlier this year after pulling all of the pollution junk off of it. Believe it or not, I started turning the distributor CCW from where it should have been. It would sound like it wanted to start as I turned it another 10 to 15 degrees. As is stands now, the distributor is 90 degrees from where it should be. There is only one reason for that, the shaft from the oil pump is off. I haven't checked it, mainly because of the closeness of the distributor to the firewall. it wouldn't fit in the first place. But, after checking everything to make sure it was all working, turning the distributor out of its normal position didn't hurt it, and unbelievablely, it started and has been running for over six months now this way.