Distributor drive shaft gear
 

The the rebuilt 360 got here last week. I have been assembling it on the engine stand. Now I have no experience with Mopar engines. I was always a chevy guy and have rebuilt 4 350 sbc. I have no clue how to set up this drive gear for the distributor. What i have read is you find TDC on #1 cylinder and the slot in the distributor drive shaft gear should point to the number one cylinder. Pictures, description, anything that can help. Thank You.

It's very easy . Install it so it will rotate to the #1 position when installed. Just use a big flat blade screwdriver to turn it...

Should be inline with the first (driver's side) intake manifold bolt. Like said move and spiral down to get inline. Vacuum canister should be pointing toward passenger side with rotor pointing directly forward inline with crankshaft. Drop it in and start your wires going clockwise.

A hint for easy starting is turn engine backward by hand so harmonic balancer shows 10 degrees before top dead center and have rotor pointing at #1 wire at that position.

My dad made this saying about chrysler V8 small and big block dist cap wireing. To reduce wiring confuseion. “the small block has the dist in the wrong place, in the back of the engine. BUT the shaft rotates the right way clockwise. The big block has the dist in the right place, in the front of the engine BUT the shaft rotates the wrong direction counterclockwise. Both wire #5 and #7 on both ALL ways have #5 before #7 on the cap AND block. And most / some stock V8s have the fireing order cast in to the intake manifold.

look in the factory service book. you can download them at mymopar. on a sb the slot points almost straight ahead / back, but off to driver side points to front intake bolt hole.

now lets say you did that. that does not guarantee distributor is right. because, over the years, some distributors (aftermarket?) and others do not point where they are supposed to

so just get no1 on compression, put timing marks on about 12 or 15 degrees and stick dist in as close as you can. then just stick the no1 wire in wherever the rotor points.

don't overthink this

here is what

rotor must point to no 1 wire when no1 is firing.