I'm preparing to start up a new engine that I received assembled from a friend. It has never run. I set the ignition timing by putting cyl #1 at TDC according to the mark on the fan and watching the piston through the spark plug hole. I then rotated the 009 distributor until the rotor lined up with the mark on the distributor body.

The problem -- when I pulled the distributor to see what angle the slot in the distributor drive shaft made with the engine centerline, it's more like 45 degrees than 12 degrees. So the distributor drive shaft must be off a tooth or two, right?

Should I change it? The ignition timing should still be correct, the distributor body will just be rotated 30-ish degrees from where it would be otherwise. If I pull the distributor shaft, what are the chances of dropping the washer deep into the engine?

What do you think?

I would just leave it.... Unless it bothers you, but your car will time the same either way. The 009 doesn't have a vacuum canister, right? Sometimes the vacuum canister interferes with timing the motor, but that shouldn't be a problem for you.

With a stock distributor, the vacuum canister can sometimes hit the engine tin before it's timed correctly if the drive gear is offset. Since the 009 (crap distributor) doesn't have a vacuum canister you won't have a problem.

It would bug me.

But agreed it won't cause a problem.
DAPO strikes again.

Fortunately, this mistake by the PO does not require a lot of work on my part - unlike the others!

I would like to make it right but it would be too much for me to bear if I dropped something into the bottom of the case after two months of trying to get this car back together. I would probably just sell/part it out if that happened.