help with setting timing on a 440

[raj]

  Its been a few years since i have set up a distributer in a 440
 my service manual says to set the #1 piston at tdc and the dampner should be at 0
and the oil pump gear should be lined up with the center line of the block. My problem is the key way in the pump drive is not exactly center is this a problem ? there does not seam to be any slack in the chain and the motor is a fresh rebuild.
 the tip of the rotor is pointed between #1 and#3 I have not fired the motor yet so i dont know if there is even a problem. any advice on this would greatly help me out Thanks

[Chryco Psycho]

it really doesn`t matter where the rotor is pointed so having the dist drive pointed where you have it is fine , you need to line up the relucotr & the pick up then advance the dist a few degrees , put the #1 wire on the tower that the rotor is pointed too , wire the rest in sequence & it will fire up

[raj]

   Thanks Chryco that basicly what i have done did not know about the line up of the pickup and the advance.

[Dave-R]

On big blocks the oil pump gear usually lines up with the centerline of the crank if you lift it out and drop it back in again further round.

The factory says the rotor in the distributor will then point to #1 which the factory places at about 25mins past the hour with the vacuum can pointing to the other side of the car.

However I have twice found distributors that did not line up this way. So in these two cases I had to rotate the oil pump drive gear so that the #1 post was in about the right place for a factory set-up.

One thing I often do on my own distrubutors is drill a small hole just behind the #1 post. This way it is easy to see the rotor and give it a little advance for fire up.

[raj]

  Thanks for all the good info on this, chrycos advise on the advance was perfect. I gave her a little drink hit the key and she roared to life. What a wonderful
sound after 4 months of building.

[Chryco Psycho]

Glad I could help