My friend is attempting to put his new distributor into his 82 Z-28. We bumped the engine over so that the #1 cylinder is at TDC. however, he cant get the distributor to drop into place with the rotor pointing at #1. He can get it to drop in, but only if the rotor is basically pointed straight ahead, pointed more to the driver side. Can he rotate the rest of the distributor so that the timing will be right? If so, in which direction? If not, what do we do? Thanks in advance.

 

Just drop it in with the rotor point in the general direction of the number 1 post on the cap( mark the distibutor body where the #1 terminal on the cap is) and turn the distributor to make it match up. If it is pointing a little to the drivers side then he should be close enough if this is a large cap HEI.
Just make sure that all wires reach.

 

He needt to rotate the oil pump driveshaft to be in the same position as the slot in the bottom of the distributor when it is pointing to #1. Actually to do it right you need to back the rotor towards the firewall a bit, then with the pump shaft in position lower the distributor into the engine, the rotor will turn a little as the dist is settled into position and should then be pointing right at #1.

 

Agreed, all you need is a big flathead screwdriver to turn it.

 

First find #1 firing, by bumping the engine until you feel compression out of the #1 plug hole. Don't forget, there are 2 instances of #1 TDC in one complete engine cycle, only one of which is #1 firing; the other is #6 firing and #1 end of exhaust stroke and beginning of intake stroke. Do not turn the motor backwards for this procedure, only forwards. Leave the engine set at the timing you want it to fire; 6° BTDC, 12° BTDC, whatever.

Turn the oil pump to about 30° from straight front-to-rear, with the slot going from pass side rear to driver's side front; hold the dist housing in the correct position, which is where the 12V terminals to the cap point straight to the driver's side. Turn the shaft to where the rotor points about 20° to the front of straight to the driver's side. Drop the distributor in, wiggle the shaft slightly as necessary to get it to engage the cam gear and slide all the way down. Put in the hold-down bolt and tighten it until you can only just barely still rotate the housing. Rotate the housing until the 12V terminals of the cap point exactly straight to the driver's side; then about 15° more clockwise. Hold up on the dist shaft as far as it will go, and turn it as far CCW against the cam gear as it will go; while holding it like this, watch the little "star wheel" down in the dist, and rotate the dist housing in the block slowly CCW until you see the teeth line up, then turn it about the thickness of the teeth more. Tighten the hold-down bolt. Put the cap on, put the wires on in their factory locations and sequence (#1 on the front just to the driver's side of straight ahead), 18436572. Hook up everything (plug wires, 12V to the dist, etc.), reach in the window and bump the key. It will start up the first time and run perfectly if you did it right, within a couple of degrees of wherever you left the timing set to at the end of the first paragraph.