I put this project on the back burner for awhile, now its back on the front burner. To make a long story short; I bought the car with the head removed. Purchased a replacement head, had it worked and installed head.
Now is the stumper; I used the dial indicator method to find #1 cylinder, intake valve 2 degrees lift; my crank wasn't in position. Removed cam, rotated eng to TDC, installed cam carefully to position where I had my 2 degrees lift on #1 cyl. intake valve, and the factory scribe mark on cam is nowhere near the forge line on #1 cam bearing cap.
I've got a ? for someone that has an 603 engine with the valve cover off. Align the timing marks; crank TDC and cam timing marks and tell me which valves are actually open.
When I did this my #4 intake and #5 exhaust were the only valves open.
I check this thread through the day today.

You rotate engine to TDC (indicator on harmonic balancer at 0 deg and #1 cam lobes up)

Wait, how can you tell if it's compression or exhaust if the cam is not installed?

The FSM shows using a dial indicator on the piston top by way of removing the prechamber. I think this is your best method now.

__________________
Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

When I had the cam installed, originally, with the crank on TDC and mark on cam aligned with mark on #1 cam bearing cap, rotated eng, nothing made contact. If I was 180 degrees out wouldn't I have a valve to piston interference?

180° out of phase on the camshaft is of no consequence to a four stroke engine. Imagine the crankshaft rotated by 360 degrees...........there's your new cam position. Relationship to the IP..........however..........will be the problem.

Ok, thanks; can anyone tell me in relation to the crank, cam, IP; what's the ratio? When the crank makes one revolution how many times does the IP rotate 360 degrees?
Thanks.

The ratio is 2:1.

The crank rotates twice for every one revolution of the cam and the IP.

Ok, thanks Brian. When I did a manual rotation when my IP mark in the window (bright light and mirror method) I was about 17 degrees. I believe I'm looking for 15 +/- 1 degree. Do you think 1 degree is something to be concerned obout or could that just be chain stretchage??
Thanks for the input.

17° is not enough of a difference to bother with.

Ok thanks Brian. I finally got it. I reread an old thread and with the input I got on this forum it finally clicked.
Thanks again.