Got it on the car in sig. Car has the stock timing tab on the drivers side and not behind the water pump. I made the zero mark on the balancer in white and lined it up with the 6degrees BTDC but the engine doesnt run right. Pulled the dizzy and #1 plug, stuffed tissue in the hole, and rotated the engine by hand till it popped out. That 0 mark was no where near the tab. I had to rotate the crank about 1/2 more to bring it by the stock tab. This doesnt seem right. Should I rotate the crank back to where the tissue popped out and drop the dizzy in there and see if it runs better? How do you time with this balancer???

 

If I read your post correctly, you're assuming that when the tissue "pos out" you're at or near TDC?? If so, your thinking is incorrect.

When the tissue "pops out", you're on the compression stroke towards TDC...I'd estimate about a 1/4-1/2 turn would be correct to get you to TDC.

I'd put the distributor back in where it was, set the basetimng where it runs best, and mark your dampener from there.

BTW, how much do you want for your heads?

 

well put straw in hole rotated engine till straw started to move up signifiging that the piston was moving down and the mark is still behind the water pump and not near the tab....piston is at TDC where the mark is straight up.....to be sure pulled the valve cover and both rockers on 1 were loose so the valves were closed and checked the 3 exhaust valve and was loose and checked the intake of 5 and 7 and were loose so they were closed.......

 

Well, just to get it started you might want to just twist the distributor around until you find a setting it fires at and runs. Then shoot the balancer with a timing gun and see if the mark is anywhere near TDC (should be between 0* and 25* BTDC for the motor to run at a reasonable idle speed). If it's way off then you balancer mark is wrong.

Unless you used a piston stop to positively identify true TDC you could be off by 10-15* EASY. The difference in piston height from 10* BTDC to Zero to 10 ATDC is very small.

To positively locate TDC: REMOVE BOTH ROCKER ARMS FROM #1 VALVES- VERY IMPORTANT TO AVOID DAMAGE!!! Then screw something into the spark plug hole that could block the piston from reaching TDC (a long bolt or similar of correct thread. GENTLY rotate the engine around manually in both directions. Mark on the balancer where it stops in both directions. Exactly halfway between those 2 marks is true TDC.