Replacing my distributor first time

I would not screw with the gear no matter what. Pull the cap, bump wrench the engine until it's on TDC and look is the rotor pointing to no6 or no1? Pull the dist, drop in the new one with the rotor pointing at or "closest" to same as the old, and if it was 1, plug the no1 wire into where the new rotor points. If it was on 6, dittoo....Plug the no6 wire wherever that rotor points

Set your timing and you are done

According to "ratvon" I never work on anything so I don't know