EDIT

Bring it up to TDC, with the distributor cap off where is the rotor pointing? Look on the edge of the dist where the cap normally sets. There is a mark on the lip. This is where the rotor should be a TDC. Next, in all probability your cooling fan is a replacement. Pelican has an article where you can print a marker for your flywheel if it is missing this mark. That or use an adjustable timing gun set to 27'BTDC.

EDIT

Instead of the white "zero" mark you might have a zero mark that is actually the numerical (0) .........look closely...you will see it.

Or a PO might have put a 0 degree TDC mark on the fan and colored it red.

My last build, I did, but I used white....

Stu

EDIT

You definitely need that ground strap on the advance plate....car won't start without it.
I would get a new plate instead of trying to solder the ground, eventually it will come unsoldered and leave you stranded. Place a WTB ad in classifieds, someone will have an advance plate. The ground connections shouldn't interfere with the Pertronix plate at all....you would need to get rid of all that solder. But as I said above, just get a new advance plate.

Where was the backfire from ... intake or exhaust?

Ignore the PO timing marks and even the flywheel notch. I have had it where the flywheel notch was at least 15 degrees off of the impeller marks and can't tell you why.

If you have a Haynes manual, look at the picture for the 27 degree mark (I forget which page it is on). You can approximate where it is by looking at the fins and the bosses for the thru bolts that hold the impeller assembly together. It would be 4 or 5 fins to the right of TDC when looking at the front of the impeller.

Replacement fans were marked, as far as I have seen, with a "0" mark for TDC and possibly a 7.5 degree mark for the 1.8 (it has been a while as I only own 6s now). Regardless, make your own marks if you are sure you are truly at TDC #1 as that is the only cylinder that counts setting it up.

As far as setting the valves, ignore the cylinder and marks, use the opposite valve method. If the exhaust/intake valve is fully open on one side of the engine, adjust its' partner on the other side of the engine as the valves are common to one lobe of the cam. If one is fully open, the other has to be closed and on the heel of the cam.

I have also found the fan marks to be off.

However I find it highly unlikely that the notch in the flywheel is off.
That is supposed to be the "truth" for TDC.

Stu

You asked if you really need an adj timing lite. No you don't but I'll make a good case for owning one. First, they're cheap; <$30 @ HF. 2, and in your case; you can always find TDC and if you had an adj lite you could set it to time from the known mark i.e. TDC. Pertronix = an age old argument here. It's the same "FI vs. Carb crowd" having found yet another camp from which to pontificate. I've had it on my Ghia since '02 and it starts in a half turn; had it on my '76 914 since 2010; had it on the '73 for a year until I sold it. I burned up a set on '73 by crossing +/- on the coil . If you leave the ign switch on for more than 45 seconds (e.g. listening to tunes while parked) you will fry the petronix, also. You never have to with dwell again and it really improves the performance. Just get a complete dizzy. Contact bdstone for one. Keep your other for spare parts.

I used a "de-soldering" wire I found at Radio Shack for this. It's a nearly identical size/shape braided wire used to wick up solder when desoldering.

TDC:


TDC & 27 Degree relationship: