ignition timing

[murray33]

Hi everyone, still really struggling with setting my ignition timing from scratch! Doing everything by the book...no.1 piston at TDC on firing stroke, lining the dot up on the crank pulley, the dizzie drive is at the 11 oclocck position with the small offset towards the front of the engine... but this is what is puzzling me as with the rotor arm pointing at no.1, the dizzie cannot be inserted, only when pointing at 3 and it can't be turned enough to then point at 1! My leads are numbered 3 1 on the cap.
4 2
Any help would be much appreciated as its driving me mad!!!!!!!!!!

[Welung666]

Your firing order is 1 3 4 2, just move the lead for plug 1 to where the rotor arm is pointing and then is the 1 3 4 2 sequence round the cap. The rotor arm travels anti-clockwise if my memory serves me correctly. If, while still on TDC, you then set the dizzy so that points just spark and nip it up, refit the dizzy cap and you should get a glimmer of life, should only need a fine tuning tweek then hopefully.

Lee

[bmcecosse]

Exactly right - just move the leads round to suit. All that drive shaft stuff is just rhubarb - it doesn't matter at all.

[rayofleamington]

All that drive shaft stuff is just rhubarb - it doesn't matter at all

Yes and no - if the driveshaft is put back in certain wrong places the dizzy will be cocked over at an odd angle - helping people to get the timing completely wrong (eg setting the timing on the wrong side of the cam etc...)
With the dizzy drive set correctly the dizzy will be close to upright with the timing correct and #1 lead will be on the top right socket.

but if you can get the timing set right with the dizzy drive where it is now, and you can get all the leads to fit from the other socket positions then then feel free not to give a monkeys about the dizzy drive orientation (although it will could cause equal confusion for any future owner)