Auto Parts: timing, gmc s15, wire hooks

Question
how do i put a 1989 GMC s15 in time? the distributor was remover and the person that removed it did not know what they where doing! I have done it on a ford ranger but the GMC seem to be different.

Answer
    It's the same procedure, no matter what kind of car you have.  You have to position the engine so that it is at top dead center on the compression stroke.  Easiest way to do this is to remove the #1 plug, push your thumb into the hole,  and bump the engine around real slowly until you feel the air push against your thumb.  Then look at the timing indicator on the front of the engine and line up the groove in the harmonic balancer with the mark on the engine.  Use a sharpie to mark the body of the distributor where the #1 wire hooks to the cap.  Take the cap off and line up the contact on the rotor with the mark on the body of the distributor.  Making sure to keep the mark lined up, lower the distributor into its hole until you feel the gears engage.  You may have to wiggle it a little to get it to go in the rest of the way.  Line up the marks again after it is installed and clamp it in place.  You might want to adjust the timing with a light or one of the magnetic sensors that the dealers use, but the computer will probably take care of that for you, unless the position you've chosen is way after top dead center.  The computer controlled engine uses a distributor setting that is advanced much further than needed, and then the computer retards the spark to the right setting.