it has been a while since i droped a new distributor in my motor. with the motor at TDC do i point the number one point at the number one cylinder and then try and drop the rotor to point the same way??

anyway hope someone can refresh my memory..

i should be back on the water soon... cant wait

Is this a BBC or BBF?

Would it make a difference on the way its initial timing is set?

I know on my BBF the rotor points at #5 on the cap, or thereabouts.

Umm what. When I am at TDC on 0 on the balancer on the compression stroke I know I am at TDC and the rotor should point to #1 on the tower.  It does not matter what engine BBF or BBC or BBO. If you are 180 off then possible #5 on the cap ??
T.J.

I got that information from the 460ford.com web site and it works.  If I were 180* out I wouldn't be running.

Guess I'll have to take photos and video.   

its a bbc. no vacuum advance. and i am pretty sure all is standard. I just got the motor back from the engine shop and i am hoping they had it at tdc when they gave it to me. but on my balancer it is 4degrees past 0. anyway i am sure i will get this figured out. it has just been all dirtbike motors since boat season ended last summer. so i am a little rusty.. but if i know my boat i will be right back in the grove and be able to pull the motor apart like a nascar pit team in about a month..hahaha

Actually, you DON'T want the engine at TDC when you set in your distributor.

Put it where you want your initial timing to be, for example if you want your timing to be @ 10 deg, put the engine at 10 deg BTDC, drop the dist in, rotate it so the the firing mechanism is lined up on #1, and you are good to go. No timing light needed.

Remember the dist has 360 degrees while the crank has 720. If you aren't pointing at #1 that means #1 is at the end of the exhaust stroke, so really #6 (Chevy, Mopar) or #3 (Ford) is the one actually ready to fire at TDC.

What does the adapter look like.  I got mine from summit and the gasket that came with the adapter looked almost like an oil filter O ring gasket.

Hmm, mine has an O ring that goes between the adapter and the engine block and 30" hoses.  I got it to the back of the stringer and do the oil filter and drain all from over the transom.