I've seen a description of this tool, but I haven't seen it illustrated. So here are the pictures. It costs less than a nickel.
Steve, I get mine free at McDonalds
I got one at In and Out but pretty sure it will work.
Make a piston stop. Either one that screws into a spark plug hole or pull the head and make a stop that mounts on a couple head screws and stops the piston a bit more than halfway up.
Make a small pointer of sheet steel and mount it so it is near the crank shaft pulley.
Then rotate the crank until the piston reaches the piston stop.
Mark the TIGHT pulley on the crank shaft with a center punch or file in line with the pointer you mounted on the timing case.
Reverse the crank rotation and when the piston hits the stop mark the pulley again.
Now divide the distance between the two marks on the crank shaft pulley and place a new mark on the pulley equidistant between the two previous marks. Place a drop of white paint in this mark and a drop of white paint on the pointer you made.
You now have an indicator that can reliably and repeatedly be used to find top dead center.
Why bother with this approach? Because the piston moves very slowly as the crank approaches top dead center and it is quite likely estimating top dead center by piston position may be 5 degrees or more of crank rotation off.
Of course you can eyeball the crank pin in the crankshaft and when it is level you are at top dead center on two cylinders. At least that method is more accurate than trying to note the piston position at the top of the stroke.
I accept this is a laborious approach but it is accurate.
Steve ;I always look ad the crankshaft starting pin , when he is horizontal, that is ALWAYS TDC
Toon
Pour the contents of yer drink into the cylinder Steve, and put the straw back in with putty. Crank the engine over until the drink quits squirting out - you're there !!
No No Garnet - Use the straw and the putty but leave the drink in the glass on the outer end of the straw.
When it's done blowing bubbles and starts sucking your drink, you are at TDC or slightly past. <@^@>
No NO -- Place the correct drink in yourself and you won't care about TDC or anything else!
Straw optional!