Static ignition timing

There are many reasons why this motor could fail to run- but since I have no information on most of them I have chosen to simply ignore them and solve them if and when they rear their ugly head. Relevant to this section is carburettor adjustment and distributor/amplifier function.

The distributor on this car is the Lucas 45D electronic pickup type. I did mark it before I dismantled it- and I checked that the distributor sprocket timing marks are about right when I reassembled so even though this is now attached to a different motor I do expect to be able to time it satisfactorily.  The first thing I did was to set the motor to 10deg BTDC using the timing marks and check that the rotor arm is pointing to no 1 cylinder... as no leads were attached to this car when I got it this is also a matter of intuition and common sense to work out which position is for no 1 cylinder. However I could determine which plugs should be served by which leads by considering their firing order and lead length!
I removed the distributor to check the parts- here is the full thing. The manual speaks of removing the rotor arm and plastic cover to expose the timing points- but I have no plastic cover- likely then that I will need to get one in due course. This turns out to be called a "flash cover" and isn't too expensive- fitted to Jags and Triumphs as well as Lotuses.

 When the rotor arm is pulled off the four pointed reluctors are revealed along with the rounded button pickup. This needs to align with the no 1 plug reluctor when the motor is in the timing position (aligned for illustration in the figure).

 Having set the motor at 10 deg btdc I re-inserted the distributor- this is extremely tricky and alignment is a fiddle- not too bad when access is unhindered as this but it would be harder if the manifolds were in position. I have a new O ring on the distributor shaft and a new spring in the auxillary house- these conspire to make it hard to fit the distributor and it pops out again with little provocation. Consquently I found it was hard to fit the distributor- especially with the clamp in position, so I just tested it without, widened the clamp a little before refitting it all.

The manual is clear that all you need to do is to check that the reluctor and pickup align when the motor is in the right position-however this is a Lotus- of course you wont be able to see inside the distributor when its in position! Luckily I have an endoscope and this was perfect to check alignment.
I found that the rotor arm was actually pointing in between two plugs and the pickup was likewise situated between two reluctors. I aligned the pickup with one but the rotor was now pointing at number 2 cylinder- I realigned it to the adjacent reluctor and this time it was pointing nicely at No1. I clamped the distributor in that point.

Endoscope view of reluctor and pick up.

Finally I refitted the distributor cap and connected the king lead from the coil. I haven't put plugs back in yet as I'm intending to spin to motor as few times to distribute oil before trying to start.