Small Block & Big Block Chevy Specific - went to change my timing set HELP

Alright I bought a 95 yukon with a really bad knocking engine and i am swaping in a 92 tbi 350. I want to change the timing set and oil pump on the 92 for some insurance while its out. So i went to find tdc #1- put vib dampner line witht the 0 degree mark and remove dist cap to find rotor points where 7 or 4 is rather than 1 or 6!!!! HELP what to do now... after some reading i found you can put #1 in dist anywhere as long as you follow firing order from there, is this true? if so i just need to see if #1 is on the compression or exhaust stroke right? Other wise i guess i need to restab the dist. please help want to make sure i get this right before i put it in the truck...thanks-Brandon

i always done it by putting it on numer 1 compression stroke and lined it up that way

well i have it on number 1 tdc need to figure if its compression or exhaust stroke my main concern is my dist rotor is pointing at what would be 7 or 4 according to the dist chart in my manual. from my research this is ok as long i follow the firing order from where the rotor is at #1 is this right. obviously someone has messed with this dist in the past on this engine.

i put a compressor test on the number one cylender when the compression goes up. thats the compression stroke top it out and put the distrubuter on the number 1

ok that sounds easy enough. please deal with my newbish questions i have dealt more with ls and diesel engine than with older sbc- never owned one. so when i have #1 at tdc compression stroke i just remove the dist turn the gear till it points at #1 and restab being sure it splines with oil pump?Thanks-Brandon

yep that how i do it

Are you sure the balancer hasn't slipped on you? Most stock GM balancers will slip over time and move around. Could be your case.

Finding the compression stroke is the old tried and true way no matter what the balancer says.

ok i need to be sure on this before i move on . damn i hate this got off at 5 and its already dark by the time i got home... so need a shop

Ok I checked to see if the dampner had slipped and it is dead on the mark with #1 tdc compression. knowing this for sure made me confident enough to pull and restab the dist. it now points to where #1 is in the manual and actually points toward the #1 cyl. Mosquitoes got bad and it almost kids bathtime so tomorrow i will tackle the timing set replacement. thanks guys for all the help!!! hope this all works out.-Brandon

Just make sure you line the timing dots up prior and after installation..