Rebuilt 273 - starting for the first time! Help!

crackedback said
Get the thing to #1 compression stroke on balancer/timing mark. Make sure the rotor points to whatever cap tower #1 plug wire is in. You can do a quick timing deal by just twisting the distributor body with a timing light attached with engine at TDC. Give it about a 10* twist CCW. Then try to start it.

If the carb is dry, use a kids liquid medicine syringe from a pharmacy to fill the carb bowls through it's vent tubes. If a holley, pull the sight plugs and look for the level as you fill it. You don't need to fill it completely.

You may need to advance it more to get it started initially.

As one of the other members on here once said, the distributor gear can point to china

As long as the rotor points to the no1 wire --wherever it may be-- and the spark timing is right it will run

Hell I've fired engines with NO carburetor, just threw a little fuel down the open manifold.