Nightrider350

Everything is in on my rebuilt 350. now i'm hooking it all up. I know that to find TDC i need my piston and valves for the number 1 cylinder to be in the proper place, but how do i know when the piston is up for the firing stage or the exhaust stage, so that I can place the rotor in the proper place.

Nightrider350

I know there are metal clips to insert in the oil holes on the head so the oil doesn't spray. Once those are installed and the engine is running, how do i adjust my rockers so they are correct. There is one bolt in the middle of the rocker with an allen wrench thing inside the bolt. They are 1.5 CompCams rollerrockers.

red90bird

finding tdc is pretty easy actually, remove the #1 spark plug (I should mention this is best done with 2 people) and rotate the engine with you thumb on the hole until you feel compression coming out of the hole. that should get you close, also your timing mark on your balancer should be at or about 0*. put in the dist (you will probabbly have to turn the engine a little to get the dist to drop in) then your rotor should be pointing in the correct direction. I know this is kinda long but that is how I did it. good luck

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

Red bird has it. Your #1 cylinder will see TDC twice as you mentioned. When you are at TDC look at he balancer. If the groove is allinged with the timing tab than you have found it correctly. If you do not see it than you are at firing #6 TDC and your #1 is TDC for exhaust. Slide the distributor in and rotate the base so that the rotor is pointing to the #1 plug terminal on the cap. Make sure that the groove is lined up with the zero on the timing tab. Your engine should start. You will then have to set the timing after the car is running. Try a search for setting valve lash. There are a couple of different ways of doing this. Some are messier than others. I set mine as instructed in Chilton's with the engine off. You can also put them on snug and start the car and leave the valve covers off. You back off the nut until the rocker clatters and then you tighten until it goes away. Another half turn and you are set. Do not set them to tight with the car off. The car will not start.

THEGENERAL

if you have the valve covers off of the car anyway just rotate the engine around until the #1 intake valve is just closing and then line up the groove on the balancer to the timing tab and you should be at tdc to adjust the rockers if you are goin to do it when its running already you better get em pretty close to begin with or you are goin to be poppin and backfireing like crazy ...been there done that ...lol

1990GTA

If they are to loose, is this what will cause the popping and backfiring?

THEGENERAL

too tight will usually cause the backfire too loose will usually cause it to tick like a lifter has lost prime