EFI Distributor Install and Timing Confusion

[Teton Scout]

Last week purchased the new Sniper 2300 EFI kit and all associated parts from IH Parts America. Trying to properly install distributor and watched Jeff's youtube video "Adding Timing Control to Holley Sniper on IH V8 Engine". Here is the link to the video:

I am confused about the section about timing at 45 degrees BTDC and dropping the distributor in on the #8 Cylinder. With the firing order of 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2, to be clearn......isn't the factory mark on the balancer when I have it lined up to TDC on the #1 cylinder compression stroke?

Are you saying that I should put the factory balancer mark at 45 degrees BTDC (about 25 degrees before the 20 degree mark on the factory plate on the timing cover) and then put stab the distributor with the rotor/cap on the #8 cylinder. Since the factory plate only goes to 20 degrees....couldn't I put a new timing line on the balancer at 2.35" or about 6 cm AFTER TDC. Then, when I line up this new mark on TDC, the factory line would be at 45 degrees BTDC?

Thanks....this would all kind of make sense to me because with my old carburetor and factory distributor with vacuum advance, I used to run it at about 18 degrees BTDC at idle.

Thanks for all of your help, in getting all of the parts and the questions the team has already answered when I called.

 

[Winchested]

No IH times off #8 at top dead center not #1.

 

[Scoutboy74]

#8 piston TDC on compression stroke for initial timing is a quirk of these IH SV8 engines, making them different from other makes that time off of the #1 cylinder. So once the distributor has been properly stabbed with #8 at TDC comp, the plug wire routing would begin with the #8 plug wire and proceed with the remainder of the engine firing order from there, and ending with #1 plug wire as the last to be located. The engine firing order still begins with #1, but for our igntion timing purposes, #8 is the beginning reference point.