Help understanding my odd timing?!?!

Like mac suggested. Make sure #1 was on compression stroke, not just "up at top dead center". It sounds like the thing is 180° out. One of my many nicknames when I was younger was "180"... I did it a bunch of times too...lol.

If you don't have a vacuum can but have a factory type electronic, look closely at the reluctor. The rotor stays pointing forward. The distributor rotates around the reluctor in this instance... So you want to line up the point of the reluctor and the metal strip in the center of the pick up coil by turning the distributor body. WHen they line up, that should place the distributor cap terminal directly over the rotor, which will give you right around 0° initial. I usually add "a little" initial by turning the distributor body counter-clockwise a very small amount.