The Studebaker Drivers Club Forum had a question about where the distributor's button should be.
There is a notch in the bottom of the distributor cap.You are locked in that position.The distributor cap has a raised letter on it.The tower is where the spark plug wire goes.
Is it possible for the rotor to be on backwards?It only works one way.The drive on the bottom can be easily switched out.
It is easy to set the points at TDC.The points should only be open the thickness of the feeler gauge, otherwise the points will be more open than they should.
If you remove the #1 plug, you can see if it is 180 out.If you want to blow your finger away, first you have to remove the wire from the coil.The compression stroke is what this is.The direction of the engine's rotation should be noted.
Don't crank the engine if you switch on the ignition.flick the points open if you hold the coil HT lead near the tip of the rotor.As the points open, you will get a spark.If the spark jumps from the lead to the drive shaft, it's a bad sign.
There are symptoms of a bad or failing distributor.There are a number of reasons for engine misfires.The car doesn't start.The engine light should come on.There are excessive or unusual engine noises.
Is the installed distributor wrong?Unless the spark has a path to ground, it won't do anything.The spark may be there, but with no place to go, the way you have it.If you lay the plug on the intake for the ground, you need to put a plug in the wire.
4.If the distributor isn't providing enough juice to the spark plugs, it can cause your engine to misfire, which typically feels like the engine is stumbling.It is usually caused by incomplete combustion.A failing distributor can cause a misfire.
The rotor is pointing at the plug wire on the cap.Won't run like that.John mentioned that you are timing is retarded.The firing order on the cap should be correct.