Timing Gear Question

So the engines almost there. I had talked to TA yesterday and they had said when you are putting the engine together for the first firing, you want cylinder 1 at TDC. We've got a Cloyes timing chain set just so u know. Anyway, TA said the mark on the cam gear and crank gear whould both be pointing up at TDC for cyl. 1, but cyl. 1 is at TDC when the two marks are pointing towards each other. If u want me to post a pic if i was unclear just let me know.
Thanks,
Jon

 

If you rotate the crank a full revolution the cam gear will rotate a 1/2 turn.
Ray

 

I know, but at TDC, the marks should point towards each other and the lifters should be down, right?

 

Correct...for TDC on the compression stroke.

Devon

 

check the chain ,do you have the lower gears with the advance/retard keyways? if so match the keyway mark with the right matching mark(square to sqaure/round to round and such)
i do match them lower faces up and upper faces down

 

With the two marks facing one another, is it top dead center for cylinder number 1?
Thanks

 

Here are some pics. Somebody double check all this please. Like I said, TA told me both marking on the gears should be up and cyl. 1 at tdc when I put in the distributor, but here is what I've got.

 

A did quick check on an old timing set and gears. If the dots point toward each other point rotor for #1. If both point up I would use #6.
Ray

 

The point you're missing, is that there are TWO TDC per 4-stroke cycle.

TDC Compression

TDC Exhaust

When the dots are both UP, #1 should be at TDC Compression

When the crank dot is UP and the cam dot is DOWN (facing each other) #1 should be at TDC Exhaust.

Does this matter? Only for plugging in the distributor or distributor wires. I would have expected that with both dots up, your rotor should be pointing at #1. With the dots facing each other, the rotor will point to #6. But I've been wrong before.

 

So from my pictures, the pistons all the way up, both valve are closed, and the marks on the timing chain gears pointing towards each other, does it look right and am I good to put in the distributor?

 

The next valve for cyl.#1 to open is the exaust. So yes you are correct.
Ray

 

The dots go together to time #1. (6 o'clock on cam & 12 o'clock on crank)

 

it looks as you have advanced the cam 4 degrees
judgeing by the triangle

 

Hard to tell from the pics, but does that crank gear have a little A and a little R on it? The A would go straight up with it on the advance keyway, and so on. If you have the O on the crank gear straight up (with it on the O keyway) and the O on the cam gear straight down then you're there.
Still I always degree it in however. Never know when parts were mis-machined.
Todd

 

Some type of mis-communication, I would have to guess. We wouldn't say both gears point upwards. Cam gear ALWAYS points down, 6 o`clock during install. Pic #3 is correctly installed. As far as just putting the timing set on, doesn't matter where the piston is when you start. It will always end up at TDC when the timing set is installed properly.