No spark - traced the problem to the distributor, but what now?

[SDJason]

Hi all,

Long story short - my Town Sedan won't start (no spark), and following Les Andrews' ignition system troubleshooting chart on page 4-5, I've traced the problem to the distributor: at step 5 "Turn ON ignition switch and test for 6v on the open point arm.", I don't get 6v.

Unscrewing the armored cable and checking it, I read 6V - so somewhere within the distributor I assume there is either a short or a break.

My question is:
Is it necessary to remove the distributor from the head to get access to the lower plate? My concern is having to reset the timing - my engine is not lined up properly with the crankhole, so I don't know how I'd be able to set the timing without being able to crank the engine manually to TDC. I guess alternatively asked, what would you recommend doing in this situation?

On a related note - I guess I just got lucky getting home a few weeks ago - oh well, you win some, you lose some…

Thank you very much,

Jason