So I just finished replacing the head gasket on my 1987 22re. I took care to mark the distributor in a couple places and ziptied the timing chain to the sprocket before removal even after all that the truck wont start. It turns over coughs a couple times then just cranks. I searched around but is there a good starting point to at least get this thing to start so I can begin to see where my timing is. Unfortunately I don't have a timing gun and Im doing this by myself.

What i have tried so far
-#1 cylinder in the 5* before TDC on the compression stroke
-Distributor pointed in the 1030ish position
-lock bolt in the center of the adjustment position

 

Uh, no. A timing light is $30 (how much have you invested in this job so far?). Setting timing "by ear" is synonymous with "blow a hole in a piston." Get a light.

How do you know it's on the compression stroke? (It could be on the exhaust stroke, 180° out.) You can look at the valves (from the rockers) to tell.

Are you sure the fuel pump is running? (if you're trying to start it with the induction piping disconnected, it will run with key to STArt, then stop.)

 

So I finally found a friend that's in town with a timing light so I'm one step closer.

I know its on the compression stroke because i checked the valve rockers.

Is there something else I'm missing that I should check before I go at this again? I'm at work now but will start tackling this again in a couple hours.

 

If you roll your motor over till the timing mark is on zero and the rotor bug is pointing at the #1 distributor cap position its either close to base timing OR 180 degrees out...
you'll know as soon as you try to start it...(it won't start 180 out)... crank hard, maybe back fire

if its not 180 out and is, closer it should crank fairly easy and start... might be rough and if it's back firing it's too retarded and will need advanced to smooth it out... once it's idling fairly good... put a timing light on it and see where you are...

you can also put the end of a broom handle over the spark plug hole and when you roll the motor over... when you hear the woosh of air from the cylinder it's on compression stroke... then you just back it up till the pully mark lines up with the zero

 

A: you can put the timing light on it while it's cranking.

B: Do NOT roll a 22r backwards, the cam (thus valves and distributor) won't move untill the slack is taken up on the tensioner side of the timing chain. (Very obvious to see if you have the distributor cap off and try turning the crank backwards)

Follow the book and countless pictorial and video howtos and it will be almost dead on 5° btdc.