#1 TDC & 031
 

I am about to replace my 009 with a 031 distributor. Have seen posted differences in location of #1 for a 009 & a 050 (4 o'clock and 7 oclock respectively). Is this true of a 031 as well ? And I am looking for a correct procedure for establishing #1 TDC without having to remove the valve cover.
Thanks

It entirely depends on how the distributor was installed. The distributor doesn't care which post is No. 1, and you can install it so any post is No. 1 by just swapping the plug wires around.

If you haven't pulled the old one, just follow the plug wire from the No. 1 cylinder to the cap, then note when the rotor is pointing at that post. You'll be very close to TDC on No. 1 at that point. Install the new distributor with the same arrangement of plug wires, and re-time.

If you have pulled the old distributor, you're going to have to pull a valve cover.

The crank pulley has a notch in it when lined up with the mark on the back of the engine (below the generator) gives you TDC. Line these up look at your distributor to see what cylinder it's pointing at you can figure it out from there...

Thanks guys for the help. I can answer one of my questions. The 009 & 031, at least on my car, have the same dist. alignment, that is they both have number 1 at 4 oclock. I did the R&R this past weekend and was very easy. The 031 is far superior across the whole RPM range and is much better at idle.