need help /6

i think 66acuda has it right.
a freind of mine had tried everythink in the book to make his /6 run right, all it did was sputter and puke. i checked relationship of TDC piston on #1, TDC timing mark on balancer, and where the dist. rotor is pointing. sure enough the dist. was way off where it should have been.
the timing gear was stripped, i think some of them are made of nylon and can wear out easy. might be worth checking.