If you didnt lift the distributor and rotate it, change the plug wires around, or change the timing gear orientation, you did not change anything.
Well, yeah, I had to change the distributor, but before I turned the motor one crank, it couldn't physically point towards #1.
When you get the engine purring, take a small chisel and make a pair of matching marks on your distributor shaft and the hold-down. This makes it easy to find the sweet spot for future timing adjustment.
