Yep, sounds like time to set it to TDC on No.1 cyl and then pull the dissy out and retime it so the rotor button is pointing to the No.1 terminal on the cap.
Make sure the adjustment plate is centered on the dissy so you can adjust it either way if needed.

I tried all of these things last night to no avail. Maybe ill try it again tomorrow with a fresh head.

Those links were very helpful, without them i would not have attempted to pull the dissy out at all.

I guess its just going to be down to trial and error now.

Does moving the timing-adjustment plate relative to the distributor help? There's a little bolt securing the timing-adjustment plate underneath the distributor.

Yes, this can happen with the stocker distributor too. Time to pull it out and move the teeth.

See the photos at the previous links.

Thanks for the help mate.

Iv already adjusted the ralitive timing by moving the leads, but i dont have enough movement in the mount/ Stay bolt to allow small adjustments in timing.
Ie. With cyl1 at 5deg before tdc i cannot adjust the points enough that the points are just opening, this is happing around 10deg before tdc.

It can be 180 out, no problem. Just move the wires 180 degrees to match.

When fitting a late distributor into early A12 engine (or vice-versa), don't worry about the actual position. What is important is the relative timing: Put lead #1 on the terminal the rotor is pointing to when timing mark is at TDC on the compression stroke.

See Timing and Using Newer Distributor

Hi everyone,

Im new to the datsun world, but have a fair knowledge of most things automotive. Iv just bought my third Morris Minor, this one with A12 running gear.

Iv started getting all the timing a1, but have noticed that the distributor seems to be 180degrees rotated. From reading on this forum its a 1974 -> distributor. I have attempted to put the distributor back to the original positon, but i cannot get it to mount up, and the current position does not allow me to adjust the timing to anything from between 20 and 10 deg TDC otherwise the bolts clash against the block.

As I said, I dont know Datsuns tooo well, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks