when you say its pointing to the #1 piston mean its at 1:00 o'clock on the HB? if you know what your true TDC is and had a adv. timing light then all you would have to do is find the true TDC put a mark on the pully and cover anywhere you wanted to and then use the light to set your base timing, that would save you from changing the cover or HB. do you have a timing tab on the cover and if you do where is it at.