Get a flashlight and look straight down in the distributor hole. You'll see the oil pump drive, it has a slot in it:



The bottom of the distributor shaft has a tab that has to fit into the slot in the oil pump drive, it looks like this:


A large flat blade screwdriver will turn the drive shaft, turns quite easily.

Make sure #1 piston is on TDC of the compression stroke, not TDC of the exhaust stroke. Remember, the crankshaft turns twice for each distributor revolution.

 

I have encountered another problem now. Stupid me while removing the distributor I put the bolt for it that fastens it down somewhere where i would not misplace it and of course now i cant find where i put it. Does anyone know the size of this bolt so i can get one for it. I assume its metric. I got the timing right i think but now need bolt for it. Please help...

 

nice sounds like something I would do, actually I do it quite often, but it's usually my glasses. It is for sure metric, and I THINK it's M6x1.25 but not certain.

 

I was having this problem also, I checked everything listed above but you know what it was? my Valve body, no codes?

I was told I would need a new tranny by a mechanic but I did some research and found out this...

This is a known issue with GM vehicles that have the 4L60E transmission. The issue normally presents itself after the transmission has had time to warm up and has been driven approximately 50 - 60 MPH. At highway speeds the torque convertor locks up for increased efficiency and so that it generates less heat. The lockup is accomplished by a solenoid in the tranmission's Valve Body which applies th...e torque convertor clutch (TCC). The solenoid and valve body itself are made of different metals which cause them to expand and contract at different rates. This constant variance in rates causes the valve body to wear away. The wore valve body allows transmission fluid to slip past the solenoid, causing a weak TCC apply. This weak apply is detected by the tranmssion as a slip. When a slip is detected the computer increases the line pressure to the shift solenoids to make the shifts firmer to minimize damage. This increased line pressure is what causes the hard shift that you feel, it is most noticable from 1st to 2nd gear. If the transmission detects the slip on two consecutive trips it will illuminate the "Check Engine" or "Service Engine Soon" light and store the code P1870.
If you ignore the problem, you will end up damaging your transmission and it will require a rebuild or replacement. However, if you catch it in time you can generally save your transmission. There are two ways to remedy the problem. 1) Replace the valve body (GM has a new updated one) 2) Repair your current valve body

I had mine repaired.

 

Thanks captn hook and everyone else for all your info and help. I really hope its not the valve body giving me this trouble thats a whole new can of worms. Once I get this thing started and going again I will give an update. Again thanks for all the help I really appreciate it. Nice people here.