Chevrolet Repair: distributor is in wrong???, compression stroke, gasket

Question
i have a 2001 blazer with a 4.3 and the engine wont start after i put a new intake gasket on it.i forgot to mark the dist. so i put my finger over 1 and bumped over till it blew my finger off and then the dist. went in pointing at the 6 on the dist. housing and it still wont start. it is firing and it has fuel so the timing must not be right.please help me if you can! thanks.

Answer
Hello Andrew,

I am mildly confused at the way you worded that, but when the #One (1) cylinder blows your finger off, that is the compression stroke, and the rotor should be pointing toward the number 1 plug wire. That's the one you want to fire at that time.
Of course, when it blows your finger out, you probably passed TDC, so line up the timing mark at about TDC, so you aren't pointing to the next plug tower.
But when #1 is on tdc compression stroke like that, you don't want it pointing to #6.

Van