I have a chevrolet 350 and have removed the stock distributor. I marked the rotor prior to removal to a location on the intake. Installing a MSD distributor and trying to get the rotor to line back up. I have rotated the oil pump shaft several times and the rotor either lines up on the left or right of the mark. Cannot get it exact. Is there a better way?

If you have the rotor marked, the way your doing it is the easiest way to get it back in the ballpark. It just takes patience but it will go back in. Try making smaller moves on the oil pump. If all else fails, you can always go TDC on compression stroke and drop it in. But then you need to verifiy plug wire positions and adjust if needed.

I went back out and moved the oil pump shaft every direction and the best I can get is just a tad off the mark or to the left of the mark. Might be due to the way that the cam gear is lined up in the engine. The new MSD distributor says to break in with non-synthetic oil. Any further help is appreciated.

Once you move the oil pump shaft all best are off on using your mark. Your best bet is find #1 tdc, match the slot in the pump shaft with the dist so the #1 plug wire is where you want it and install the dist by turning the rotor about 10-15degs counter clockwise from #1 and drop it in.

Do I need to bump the engine to get #1 up to TDC and then line up the rotor to #1 on the cap? Been a long time since I have done this. Thanks.

You could bump it or turn it by hand. The cheap way is thumb in the #1 plug hole, as you are getting close the compression will blow air past your thumb. Now line up TDC on the dampner and you are ready for the dist. You can just drop in and seat the dist and your rotor is pointing to #1 but it may not be where you want it. Turn the pump shaft to set the rotor where you want it... Here's a shot of where the factory put #1.

http://www.corvetteforum.cc/techtips/images/dist2.jpg

Ok, making some progress. Bumped the engine till it pushed out compressed air and set the dampner on zero or TDC. I marked the distributor body with the cap on to indicate where the #1 plug was. Checked the rotor and it appears to be pointing towards the mark I made on the distributor body. However the mark moves as you rotate the distributor. This is where I am lost. It is pointing towards #1 on the cap and then is off when you move the distributor. Thoughts?

Charles, do you have the distributor all the way down at this point (engaged with the oil pump)?

If it's not all the way down, bump the starter, it will fall in.

Then find tdc again, like you did the first time. Put the mark on the balancer at 8 or 12 BTDC (that would be the side of the tab furthest from the center of the engine.)

With the distributor cap off, look down below the rotor. you will see a ring with 8 tits sticking out that moves when you rotate the rotor, and a pick up coil that moves when you twist the distributor body.

with the rotor pointing at the mark you made on the distributor body, observe how the nearest "tit" is aligned with the pickup coil. Rotate the distributor clockwise a little, then back counterclockwise until the "tit" just passes the center of the pickup coil.

Lock it down, your timing is perfect and it will fire right up.

If you are putting your stock dist. back in, after you line up the timing mark make sure the slot on the shaft in the oil pump is pointing straight forward and it will drop right in where you want it.

The rotor has to be turned counter clockwise a bit before dropping it all the way in. It at the angle of the gear teeth and you can see as the teeth mesh into the other gear it will turn the rotor clockwise some...