Indexing the crank and cam is simple, but I don't see any similar peen marks or dots that will tell me how to set it in correctly. I'm about to put the case halves together and I'm assuming that I should have this set correctly prior too doing so.

you can put in the drive gear later. bring to TDC then insert dist drive gear at 12 degrees from the engine case seam. refer to any manual (P-workshop manual, haynes, lash, ....)

Hmphh...My Hanes guide and other P-book took a walk on me. The only thing I have handy is Muirs book, not quite what I need. I need a little more specific help to set up the distributor. #1 is at TDC. So looking at the engine from the front how is the drive gear to be oriented?

offset slots pointing to 11:00 as you look at it from the fan end. fat side on the right. sorry no pix?

Picture:

Tan-Q!

And one more thing. That orientation will set the drive shaft and the rotor to fire at #1 TDC, but what designates the 360 degree rotation of the distributor body? I know, I'm reading the directions on the dist, but I don't see this. I know it gets rotated when setting the dwell angle, but never having done this before I am just grasping at straws. It's a mallory unilite w/vac adv. by the way.

DD: the image you posted reminded me of the download section here. I looked up the Engine manual and on page 2.4-2/1 found an additional note for the '74 and later models. It says for the 1.8 engines, beginning in '74, use the 7.5 degree mark insead of 12 degrees.

Is this correct?

To tell which cylinder you're on TDC for, pop the valve cover on the left side. Check to see that #1 cylinder's rocker arms are both loose. If so, that means you're on (or near) TDC#1.

As I mentioned in the off-BBS email, the instructions say to line up the 7.5 degree mark on the fan instead of the TDC mark shown. (I think mostly because many/most 1.8s don't have the TDC mark and 7.5 deg BTDC is close enough.) You stilluse that 12 degree rotation. Or something somewhat close.

The main idea is to let you have the timing be correct without the distributor vacuum dashpot hitting the fan shroud.

--DD