Removing the glow plugs will eliminate all compression.
If you are way off on cam timing so that you cant even turn it manually then I don't know how you are going to be able to actually check the timing. One way, i suppose, would be to tighten all the valves A LOT. I mean tighten the adjustment nuts so that the cams hardly even touch the valves. That would let you check and hopefully adjust the timing chain.
I still think you have a problem with fuel delivery. You could have a major blockage in the supply line (except you said the hand pump didn't really even work from a bottle). Or, it sounds weird, but you could have a major blockage in the return line. Or your pirimer pump could be broken, not just the hand pump, the whole lift pump. To eliminate the lift pump totally, try what I said about supplying the IP from a bucket with a spigot (so you can get a little fuel pressure at the IP -- not sure if that is neccessary, though, a bottle might be just as good). Just use filtered fuel when you do this. Of course you have to be able to turn it over to do that.
This is interesting (to me, at least, though probebly not to you). Good luck
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